Midnight Serenade
by LegendBecomesMyth
Summary: Struggling to deal with the new life that has been thrust upon him, and to come to terms with his past, Chiro faces some personal challenges that need to be overcome. Has he fully accepted the responsibility of being leader of the Monkey Team? Pre-Season1
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Footsteps sounded through the alley, amplified by the following echo. Dark, cumulonimbus clouds were already over the city, and gradually picking up speed from the unforgiving wind that managed to pierce even the toughest layer of clothing. First, a flash of light, a boom of thunder, and then the downpour began. It was hardly gradual - it was more like a flash flood.

At the dead end of the alley, a young boy seated himself in the gutter, propped up against the chain link fence. Already, the pitter patter of rain had transformed into hard, sharp pins that mercilessly struck any person or object in their path. The boy's clothes were drenched, and simply allowed the water to flow down his shivering, weakened body; his raven black hair glued down to his face.

His tear-stained blue eyes revealed an anguish and suffering that was previously overlooked by those closest to him.

A choked voice escaped his pale, chapped lips, "How did this happen?"

The rain replied by increasing its intensity. A cat meowed in discomfort somewhere in the shadows.

"How did I end up here?"


	2. Awakening

**Chapter 1 - Awakening**

**9 months earlier**

Lights flickered on, illuminating the previously darkened room. Spider webs clung to the corners, containing mournful looking spiders, as a faint buzzing began to fill the air. The quiet, forgotten computers were slowly coming to life.

In a separate room not too far away, 5 coloured tubes slowly emptied of their liquid contents, revealing inside each of them a single unconscious cyborg creation. The lights hummed softly as they too, beamed into life.

It was only a few minutes before the sound of hissing broke the silence, followed by the creak of a door opening. Yellow eyes flickered as they gazed around the room, and a black figure rose from the central tube.

**3 hours later**

A tiny ray of light hit Sparx's pupils as he opened his eye lids just a tiny crack. Pain. And then a groan. Sparx sat up swiftly, and then promptly collapsed back into his tube.

"Ughh... what the hell?" he muttered groggily.

"Your systems are still rebooting. Give it some time, Sparx, and you will become accustomed to your surroundings again," the voice spoke in a matter of fact tone.

"Gibson..." the red simian grumbled, "How come you're awake so early?"

"I guess it just means my systems are more advanced than yours," Gibson smirked as Sparx shot him a glare, "Now stop fidgeting. I'm going to run some diagnostics to make sure the cryo-sleep didn't interfere with your CPU."

Sparx reluctantly lay still, as he felt a probe enter the port in the back of his head. Not particularly painful, but definitely uncomfortable.

"Hurry up would ya? My muscles are killing me."

"Honestly Sparx, you have the mind of a child," Gibson's voice drifted off as he diverted his attention back to his diagnostics check.

"How are the others?" Sparx continued, unabated by the blue monkey's remarks.

"Nova and Otto are still unconscious. Antauri awoke several minutes before I did. He's in the med bay right now- sit STILL!"

Sparx at this point was fidgeting madly in his tube, when he pulled the probe out from behind his head and hopped unsteadily to his feet.

"Merlins beard Sparx! What do you think you're doing! Your muscles haven't acclimatised yet! You could still be weak and I haven't fini-"

"Gibson, don't you get it?" Sparx snapped back impatiently, "You know why we woke up right? Someone activated the Super Robot. The Power Primate was triggered!" A look of glee spread across his face, "It could be our new leader!"

Gibson returned a glaring look, "And that is what I was about to say - Antauri left to take care of the boy who-"

"Boy? It's a boy? You mean a human?"

"Yes, a human! Now if you PLEASE-"

"No way Brain Strain, I have to see this for myself!"

Sparx turned his heel and on shaky feet, he sped from the room, with Gibson shouting monkey obscenities behind him.

Slipping along the corridor, the red cyborg hurriedly made his way to the med bay, his mind occupied with anxious thoughts.

_A boy? A human boy? Did Gibson mean he was a child? How can a _human_ lead the Monkey Team? Let alone a child?_

He approached the door of the med bay, hitting the button impatiently to open the door. Then he hit it again for safe measure.

"Dammit, open faster! God this whole place needs a reboot."

As soon Sparx had finished cussing out the Super Robot, he felt the stern gaze of the black monkey on him.

"Sparx? I must admit I did not expect to see you up so soon-"

"Is that him then? That the kid?" Sparx approached Antauri's side, and stared incredulously at the young boy who lay unconscious on the table.

"Yes, this is he who activated the Super Robot, and in turn, awoke us."

There was a moment's pause, before Sparx spoke again.

"No way, Antauri. No. He's a kid. What is he, like ten years old?"

"Thirteen, to be precise."

"Thirteen? He probably hasn't even hit puberty yet. Just look at him..." Sparx trailed off angrily, "And Gibson said he triggered the Power Primate? Is this true?"

"I believe so."

"But he's just some dirty street kid!" Sparx huffed.

"While it does appear that the child has come from a particularly rough background, I believe it is fate that led him to discover us. You will come to accept him as your leader. We all will." Antauri finished with another stern look, and then turned to face the boy. His skin appeared pale and sickly under the dim lights, his black hair was messy and unkept. A few scuff marks littered his face.

"No way Antauri. He won't handle it." Sparx folded his arms and headed for the door, but paused when the black monkey called his name. He turned his head sharply.

"I can see you need time to take this in. And when he comes to in a few hours," A pause... "Just give him a chance." The yellow eyes watched as Sparx gave a curt nod, and then left the room. Antauri sighed and returned his gaze to the boy who, still peacefully laying on the table, had unknowingly changed his life in the most spectacular of ways.

**xXxXx**

It wasn't long after Sparx's departure from the Cryo-room that Nova painfully opened her eyes. Through her blurry vision, she spotted her brother Gibson pouring over the computer.

"Gibson..." she groaned through gritted teeth, "Water."

Gibson glanced over at her voice, and then quickly retrieved a glass for her. She snatched it hurriedly and gulped it down without pause. Gibson watched her carefully, and took the glass when she was done.

"How are you feeling Nova?" he asked with concern, returning the cup to a nearby table. Nova grunted, and slowly raised her body out of the tube.

"Very sore. I thought the cryo-sleep wasn't supposed to cause any discomfort?"

"So did I. Unfortunately, as we have just discovered, that is not the case."

Nova glanced around the room, and noticed that only Otto remained asleep in his tube, a goofy smile plastered on his face, "Where are the others?"

"Well, Sparx rashly stormed out of the room only a few moments ago to find Antauri, who is in the med bay with our new friend."

Nova blinked at the end of Gibson's sentence, "New friend?" It didn't seem to click.

Gibson sighed and placed himself next to her tube where she sat, "I had a look at the security footage of the past several hours. It appears a young boy managed to find his way in and activate the Super Robot."

Nova's eyes widened, "You mean, the person who it was foretold would come?"

"Antauri believes so."

"So... this boy is going to lead us?"

"Yes."

Nova sank a little in her tube, doubt filling her mind, "Young boy you say? How young?"

"Well, according to the scans I completed on his skeleton, I made a few quick calculations on his projected bone and tissue growth an-"

"Well?" Nova snapped impatiently. She didn't have time to hear Gibson's "calculations".

"We believe he may be around thirteen years of age."

Nova gasped, and stared wide-eyed at Gibson, who by now had occupied himself with staring intently at a speck of dust on the floor.

"But that's quite young for a human... right?" her voice came out strained.

"Nova, I don't believe now is the best time to be talking about this. Once everyone has awoken, we will have a team meeting to discuss the best method of approaching this. Antauri will be the one to break the news to the child. In the meantime, I would really like to run a diagnostics scan on you. Just to check that you are still fully functional."

Nova rolled her eyes, but lay back down in her tube, "Alright Gibson, run your test. But make it quick. I want to see him."

"Don't worry Nova, we all do."

Gibson sighed as he returned to his computer, and activated the scanners. Suddenly, another voice pierced the silence.

"Hey guys..."

Gibson glanced over towards the green monkey who had finally awoken, and Nova's head could be seen staring over the edge of her cryo-tube.

Otto scratched his head, and a look of genuine concern was etched on his face.

"Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."

Gibson and Nova simultaneously rolled their eyes.


	3. Acceptance

**Chapter 2 - Acceptance**

The team assembled in the main room after everyone had awoken from their cryo-sleep, and after Otto scoured the Super Robot for something decent to eat. Each of the monkeys sat in their respective chairs, except for Antauri who stood at the front, ready to address them all. A mixture of concern, anxiousness and disbelief was felt by the different members of the team, but most obvious was Sparx, whose face showed a look of pure irritation. Antauri cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"Team," he began, "I imagine you are all still quite disorientated from being woken, however at this moment in time, there are a few pressing matters that I need to address with you all.

"Firstly, the reason for our release from cryogenic sleep. As you may well remember, before we had entered stasis, we were betrayed by Mandarin."

A few hisses erupted around the room, which was quickly waved away by Antauri's hand, "Yes, I understand your contempt for our ex-leader. Due to unfortunate events, Mandarin failed as a Monkey Team member, and a protector of Shuggazoom. And I'm sure you remember when we exiled him to H.O.O.P," Antauri paused, glancing at each individual member before continuing, "Can anyone recount what happened after that?"

A few uneasy glances were exchanged, when Otto slowly raised his hand.

"We went to sleep?"

"Yes, Otto, but more importantly, why?"

"Has it got something to do with Mandarin?" Nova asked curiously. Antauri nodded.

"I believe so. Your memories may have some trouble recounting the exact events that occurred, so I will explain it for you.

"After Mandarin was exiled, I believe the Super Robot somehow sensed that our leader was no longer a part of the team."

"Wait," Sparx interrupted, "You're talking as if the Super Robot has feelings, or a consciousness. It's just a robot!"

"Yes Sparx, I realise this must be a lot to taken in, however, it needs to be explained if we are to fully understand the reasons for our being put into stasis, and the reason why we were awakened today."

Sparx fell silent, and began listening intently.

"As I was saying, the Super Robot is not functional without a leader, and we alone were not capable of operating it without all our members. So, after we returned, the Robot placed us into stasis, ready to await the new leader of the team."

"It was foretold, unless you forgot." Gibson added haughtily. His comment was mostly directed at the red monkey, who was already showing signs of disbelief.

"Indeed it was Gibson," Antauri continued, "It was foretold that one day a person of great strength would reveal himself, shine light into the dark and lead us to a new utopia."

"And you believe all this crap?" Sparx's voice rose angrily, "Really? Okay, so some old guy wrote down a bunch of words about something that _may_ happen in the future. Just because we found a new kid on our doorstep that flicked the on switch... that doesn't make it true!"

"Well what else do we have to go on, Sparky?" Nova snapped back irritably, "I for one believe it. We lost our old leader, and now this boy shows up, manages to get into the Super Robot, what with its high-powered defense system, and awaken us?"

"There is also something else I have neglected to mention," Antauri interjected quickly, "When I first laid eyes on the child, I sensed something... I believe it may be the Power Primate."

Silence.

Then chaos ensued.

"Get real Antauri! A _human_ with the Power Primate? Unheard of!"

"I dunno, it sounds kind of unbelievable if you ask me"

"What if this child is the Chosen One? What if he is meant to be our leader?"

Antauri pursed his lips and shut his eyes, rubbing his brow in an annoyed fashion. He knew the others wouldn't take it well but... this was just ridiculous! The black monkey suddenly stepped forward and clapped his hands loudly.

"Team! Please! Silence yourselves!" The chittering noise faded away almost immediately, "Like I stated before, this will be a lot for you to take in right now. I believe we are meant to accept the child into our home. We will teach him our ways, and train him to become a leader. Does anyone have any disagreements?"

His question was met with a solemn silence.

"Very well," Antauri quickly checked the time, "The boy will waken soon, so this meeting is over. If anyone would like to accompany me, you are most welcome. I am sure many of you are eager to greet him. If not, I am sure your rooms will need attending to, and the Super Robot's system will need an overhaul." And with that, the black simian turned his heel and departed the room. One by one, the rest of the team followed their second in command. Sparx hesitated, and then quickly ran to join the others.

**xXxXx**

When Chiro awoke, he knew he was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Cold, hard metal pressed against his back, and his body throbbed painfully as he struggled to open his eyes and return to consciousness. His head swam nauseously with many thoughts. He tried to speak, but all he could muster was a groan. He finally opened his eyes and adjusted to the dim lighting. It appeared he was in some kind of... medical room? Chiro felt his stomach drop. _Oh no, _he thought, _What if this was a secret lair where people experiment on kids? Oh god.. I have to find a way to get out of here!_

The boy grunted in pain as he tried to sit up, but realised that he had not the strength to do so. There was a strange tug on his arm, and he paled as he saw a drip attached to his vein, snaking off the side of the bed to a bag filled with a clear liquid.

_I wonder what that liquid is, _Chiro thought anxiously, _Perhaps it's some kind of chemical? I'm being drugged!_

He roughly pulled the drip out, and sat up to get a clear view of where he was. Before he had time to take in his surroundings however, he heard raised voices from outside the room.

"... and I told YOU, if Antauri believes he is the Chosen One, then I believe him. Antauri has never let us down."

"I don't care, you didn't get a good look at the kid. He's barely even a teenager! He'll die five minutes into battle."

Frightened, Chiro glanced around the room looking for somewhere to hide. Somewhere, anywhere - there! He hopped off the bed, grabbed a syringe that was laying nearby, and hid under the desk. Just in time, as the door burst open. Listening intently, Chiro waited with bated breath as several figures entered the room. He couldn't count how many, as the sound of feet were too many. The sound was strange - like bare feet on a smooth surface. Did these people not wear shoes?

"Oh great... look! The kid's gone!" the male voice sounded angry, "Someone should've stayed here to watch him."

Another voice butted in. It belonged to a male as well, and sounded somewhat British, "Oh dear, that was my fault. I miscalculated the time it would take for him to recover. But I must say, he recovered quite quickly from his state."

"Guys," a female this time, "The computer log shows that no one left the room. He's still in here."

Silence. Chiro felt like he was suddenly drained of blood. He heard his heart beating in his ears. It was so loud, the young boy was terrified these people would hear it. He clutched his syringe tightly.

For a few moments, Chiro strained his ears for any sounds, and his eyes gazed out from his limited view for any sign of movement. He thought he heard a soft pad of feet treading, but he couldn't be sure. Suddenly, a green, furred leg appeared in the corner of Chiro's vision - wait what? _Furred?_ Chiro retreated further into his hiding place. Furred? What kind of creatures were these... these things?

But it was now, or never. Lunging with all his strength, he burst from his hiding place, yelling curse words and throwing himself at the green figure, waving his syringe like a sword. Grabbing the creature around the neck, he held the syringe like a knife, "No one come any closer!" his voice came out weak. He cursed inwardly about how pathetic he sounded.

In the moment's pause, Chiro finally got a decent look at the creatures. There were five, each of them coloured differently, however they all had the same appearance. Their bodies consisted of a mixture of biological features as well as metal parts. Chiro had never seen anything like it. _Maybe this is an alien ship and I was abducted by aliens_

"Take me back to Shuggazoom, whatever you are!" Chiro spat. The one closest to him and the green creature was a black one. He raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

"You have not left Shuggazoom, I assure you," he said, his voice soothing, "My name is Antauri, and if you put the syringe down I can introduce you to the rest of the team."

Chiro hesitated. He didn't know why, but he liked this Antauri creature. However the others seemed less accommodating. Especially the red one. He looked furious.

"How do I know you won't harm me?" Chiro asked, his voice shaking. The yellow one nudged her blue comrade.

"He understands us. He _must_ have the Power Primate!"

"What?" Chiro's brow furrowed in confusion.

"May I ask you what your name is?" interrupted Antauri.

"Chiro."

"Thank you Chiro. Now I see you are holding our friend Otto in quite an uncomfortable position," Antauri smiled warmly, "I'm sure he'd appreciate if you release him."

Chiro hesitated again, but slowly loosened his grip on the green creature named Otto, who scurried back to hide behind the others. Chiro took a step back. He was overwhelmed. This was all too much.

"I think you should take a seat Chiro. We have a lot to explain to you."

Chiro nodded, placing the syringe down, and seated himself on the table he awoke on.

"I am going to introduce you first to the team, and while I do that, Gibson here is going to run a few tests, just to make sure you are in good health. Is that alright?"

The boy replied with a nod.

"Very well," Antauri nodded towards the blue creature, who then began rummaging through his cupboards.

"Like I stated before, I am Antauri. This here," motioning towards the yellow one, "Is Nova. This is Gibson, Otto, and Sparx." The red one was called Sparx? Chiro made a mental note to stay away from him. He then surveyed the group cautiously.

"What are you?"

"Oh, it's not obvious?" Nova asked, "We're monkeys."

"Technically, we are cyborgs," Gibson interjected, arriving at Chiro's side with his medical supplies, "Part robot and part monkey. Hold on Chiro, I'm going to test your blood pressure," he wrapped a plastic tubing around Chiro's arm and pumped it full of air. Gibson continued talking, "We were designed to protect Shuggazoom City from foreign, invading forces."

"Designed by who?" Chiro asked. The monkeys exchanged glances.

"Well... we actually don't know." Nova stated bluntly. Chiro raised an eyebrow. This was all very unbelievable.

"I think I'm dreaming. Am I dreaming?"

"I do not believe you are." Antauri said, "We apologise for the overload of information."

Chiro nodded in acceptance of the apology, "So what no-OW!" the boy pulled his arm away from Gibson, who had in fact just jabbed him with a needle, "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a blood test, calm down!" Gibson said irritably. Chiro grumbled.

"We will give you some more time to rest," Antauri continued, "And I will explain everything to you personally. I will show you to your room."

"My room? You mean... I'm staying here?" Chiro suddenly felt nervous. Sure, he hadn't had much of a life before, but... leaving the only thing he'd known? He wasn't sure he could do that.

"It is only temporary. If you choose to stay, you may stay. If not, you are free to return back to your home." Nova shot Antauri a glance. It seemed to question his statement. Antauri ignored it, "If you would follow me?"

Chiro hopped off the medical table, and followed Antauri out the door, feeling the eyes of the other monkeys on him. He noticed that Otto appeared slightly fearful of the boy, whereas Sparx on the other hand seemed resentful. Chiro didn't want to linger.

Antauri and Chiro walked briskly through several different rooms and hallways, before reaching a long room with six doors, three on each side.

"These are the bedchambers, where each team member sleeps. This room is your own, private quarters. The large room we were in before, that is the main room. I will be in there with the others if you need me. Take some time to think things over. When you are ready, I will speak with you some more." The black monkey watched as Chiro stared back, not knowing what to do. A choked "okay" escaped from his lips, and he walked through the open door, into his room. Glancing behind him, he saw the yellow eyes were watching him intently, but quickly disappeared behind the closing door. Chiro sighed, and turned to view his room.

It was quite spacious, much better than his present living conditions. There was a large bed in the centre, with a few bookshelves lining the walls, and a television facing his bed. Besides that, there were no other items in his room. No books, toys, nothing. Chiro sat down on his bed, and fell backwards, lying spread-eagled on the comfy mattress.

"What is going on Chiro. You must've hit your head hard." the boy rolled onto his side, closing his eyes. He quickly drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep.


	4. Explanations

**Chapter 3 - Explanations**

_"What are you doing here?" a deep voice snarled menacingly. A small child of about 5 years old stared up, tears welling in his eyes._

_"Daddy... I didn't know you were in here. I'm sorry, I will go to my room now."_

_"SHUT UP," the man narrowed his eyes, "You're a worthless piece of shit, you know that?"_

_SMACK._

_The little boy started to cry._

_"I SAID SHUT UP."_

_SMACK._

_"Daddy, please, I'm sorry!"_

_"Everything is your fault! You should have died! It should have been you!"_

_SMACK._

_No protests now, just choked crying, followed by repeated noises of a hand making contact with delicate skin._

Chiro awoke with a start, and stared at an unfamiliar ceiling. His breath was laboured. A single bead of sweat trickled from his hair. The bed beneath him was soft, and moulded perfectly to his back. _Just a dream._

Then, as memories suddenly flooded back to him, he sat up and was overcome by an intense feeling of dizzyness. He rubbed his eyes, and for the first time, he felt very alone. For a few moments, he didn't know what to do.

He ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times.

He paced up to his wardrobe, opened it. It was empty. He sat back down.

He turned on the television in his room. All it returned was white noise on every channel. Apparently, the aerial had not been re-programmed yet.

Chiro wasn't sure if he wanted to confront the monkeys about the last few hours just yet. Everything had gone by so quickly, and he felt overwhelmed by it. Even though he had slept for several hours, Chiro still felt tired. The raven haired boy finally decided to talk with the others.

He opened the door to his room, and glanced around. Despite all the lights being turned on, it felt cold and lonely. Like he didn't belong. Chiro glanced up and down the hall, and was hit by the sudden realisation that he had no idea how to get to the main room. Antauri had told him he'd be waiting there.

_Crap... It's not like this place has a map either._

He decided to explore. The 5 other doors in the room, he thought, were to be left alone. Antauri had said the others slept there. He didn't want to disturb them. Plus, he was scared of walking in on Sparx. He got the feeling the red monkey didn't like him.

Wandering down the corridor, he left the hall and entered another, which, like the previous room, was adjoined with doors. _Which one to pick? _Chiro mused. He walked to the closest door, and tugged on it. Locked. Drat. The second door was locked also. Finally, approaching a third door, he opened it - and smiled successfully as it turned with ease. The room inside was quite large, and several pillars were at the furthest end. Large, blue mats were on the floor.

"This is the training room, Chiro." came a voice. Chiro whipped around, startled, and saw the black monkey was watching him from the door way. He turned his back on Antauri, and walked onto the mat, feeling its squishiness under his feet.

"Training? For what?" he queried. Antauri joined his side. He seemed to have a grim look on his face, but it was quickly replaced with an emotionless mask.

"Gibson stated before that we were designed to be protectors of Shuggazoom. Many years ago, we fought evil forces and kept the people of Shuggazoom safe. We are known as the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force."

Chiro couldn't help but laugh, "That is a ridiculously long name," he grinned.

Antauri smiled at the boy's amusement, "Indeed. Have you not heard of us?"

A negative shake of the head.

"Tell me," Antauri looked into Chiro's eyes. This unsettled the boy - he felt like he was being probed, "Where are you from?"

"I'm not from anywhere." This surprised Antauri. He pursued further.

"Where is your family?"

Chiro moved his gaze to stare intently ahead, "I don't remember them."

"You're an orphan?"

"Yes. Waiting to be adopted."

"I'm sorry..."

Chiro shook his head and forced a laugh, "Hey, it's fine! I figure it all works out okay though, right? I mean, I have no home or family, and you said I could stay here if I wanted. Pretty convenient, huh?"

Antauri didn't reply - the boy had a point. A short silence, then -

"So you were saying you fight evil? What kinda evil?"

"Foreigners from other planets, usually. People who come to upset the delicate peace we have tried to maintain for so long."

"And this giant robot thing?"

"The Super Robot."

"Yeah... it can fight too?"

"Indeed it can. Each team member is in control of a different part. There are two Foot Crushers, which Nova and Otto control. Two Fist Rockets, run by Gibson and Sparx. I control the Brain Scrambler..." he seemed to trail off. Chiro knew he was going to add something, but didn't press it.

"Chiro," Antauri continued, "There is a reason you found us, and managed to wake us. No ordinary person would be able to do that."

Chiro studied the black monkey's yellow eyes, "What do you mean?"

"The door responds only to those who possess the Power Primate."

"So you're saying I possess this... power?"

"That is precisely what I am saying," Antauri smiled.

"What exactly is going to happen to me then?"

"We would like to train you Chiro. Train you in the ways of the Power Primate. To be a part of our team."

Chiro stared doubtfully. He wasn't sure whether to take the monkey seriously, or just laugh. Power Primate? He was dubious, yet interested. Plus Antauri seemed genuine about it.

"I dunno..."

"I will let you think about it in more depth later. For now, would you like a tour of the Robot? I will introduce you properly to the others." Antauri walked to the door, and gestured for Chiro to follow. The boy complied, however his mind was plagued by the recent information.

**xXxXx**

Gibson watched in annoyance as Sparx paced around his lab, muttering loudly.

"Antauri really thinks he's the Chosen One, doesn't he? A kid? A thirteen year old kid? This is just stupid." the red monkey glanced pointedly at Gibson, as if expecting some kind of assurance. He received a stare instead.

"He's really off his rocker if he thinks a kid can lead us. Someone who hasn't even been properly trained yet. I bet he doesn't even know how to fly, or basic mechanics, or science!"

"That is why _we_ are here S-P-R-X 77," Gibson said waspishly, "To train the boy. And if Antauri has faith in him, so do I."

"I think he should go back into stasis for another few years. Maybe that'll make him see sense..."

Gibson tutted impatiently, "And why exactly are you talking to me about it? I do not care for your silly antics. And in case you don't remember, Antauri left us with a job to do. I am re-programming the Super Robot's mainframe - that is no easy task by the way! Otto is running checks on the mechanics, and Nova is firing up the defense grid. Why don't you, oh I don't know, go fly the Fist Rockets and make sure they still work, or something. Just get out of my lab!"

Sparx brightened up at the idea of flying. Gibson knew he would, hence the suggestion. It was probably not a very good idea, letting Sparx fly less than 24 hours out of stasis, but the blue monkey was tired and irritated by his brother's incessant complaining. A look of relief replaced his usually annoyed demeanor as the red monkey hurried out of the lab.

"Finally, some peace," and he turned back to the computer. Unfortunately, this silence was only to last a few minutes.

"Hey Gibson! Gibson! Hey Gibson! I finished checking the Robot!" Otto skipped in gleefully, and then paused at the sight of his blue brother pouring over the computer, "Woah... what are you doing?"

Through gritted teeth, "I am trying to reprogram the Robot's outdated computing system."

"That's pretty neat."

"Are you sure you did a thorough check? It's only been an hour since you left!"

"Yeah, everything is in working order! I even doubled checked it," Otto whistled, "Bit dusty. Had to clean out the ventilation system too, a lot of monkey hair was in it... I'm pretty sure a lot of it was yours..."

"Oh for heaven's sake Otto..."

Otto laughed jovially, and bounced out of the room, his voice echoing as he went.

**xXxXx**

Once again, Chiro was left to himself in the Robot. The tour with Antauri surprisingly didn't take long, however the simian apologetically explained that he had to attend to the Robot, making sure it was fully operational by tomorrow. Chiro understood, the monkeys all seemed to be busy. But why? The boy didn't understand. Evil forces? Everything was so confusing. What evil forces? Shuggazoom had never been under attack, as far as he knew.

Nevertheless, Chiro took to exploring his new surroundings with relish. The main room was one of his favourites. He even had his own chair! The kitchen and dining was his second destination, and he rummaged through the fridge looking for something to eat. There wasn't really a lot, which disappointed Chiro. Not even bananas.

_Although, I guess they aren't like average monkeys. They probably don't eat bananas._

"Surprised there aren't any bananas?"

Chiro slammed the fridge shut and turned around, "Nova! Ah, I... well, no, I mean, I was just looking for food and there wasn't any food, I didn't think you guys ate bananas, well, it didn't cross my mind at all-"

"Relax kid!" Nova laughed, "I was only teasing. You hungry? I might have a few power bars in my room. I'd suggest shopping but Antauri says we shouldn't leave the Robot just yet."

Chiro was faintly aware of his stomach grumbling, "I would really, really appreciate those power bars!"

Nova smiled warmly, "I'll take you to my favourite place in the Robot!"

From atop the Robot, Chiro could see for miles! He gazed, breathless, out towards the City, while absently chewing on a power bar that Nova had graciously given him.

"This is a really cool spot Nova, thanks!"

"I like to come here when I need to take my mind off things. It's relaxing." They were interrupted by the droning sound of a vehicle, and a second later, Sparx's Fist Rocket passed overhead. It seemed to travel upwards for ages, until it looped several times and came twirling back to the earth, then it quickly veered to fly adjacent to the ground. Chiro gasped in amazement.

"Wow, who is that?"

"Oh, that show off? It's Sparx. Granted, he's the best flyer in the team. He'll probably teach you how to maneuver the vehicles," A pause, "Antauri told you that we would be training you, right?"

Chiro nodded, taking a bite out of the bar, "What will you be training me in?"

"Combat." Nova said simply.

"So you're the best fighter?"

"Hah, I wouldn't say that. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. But fighting is definitely my specialty!" Chiro saw that her eyes lit up at the thought of combat.

"I've never done any fighting before,"Chiro mumbled, "Well, besides school yard punch-ons, but nothing... y'know, _trained._" His voice sounded hollow, and Nova realised he was scared. She placed a sympathetic arm around his shoulder.

"Chiro, don't worry. You're in good hands! We are gonna teach you everything you need to know, and for now, we will protect you. But I am gonna make one tough fighter out of you," she smiled, but then noticed the boy was shivering, "Oh! Are you cold? Sorry... I forgot you don't have fur!"

Chiro grinned, his teeth chattered, "Yeah, I am a bit cold. Head back now?"

The two of them walked back inside, leaving the sun to set behind them.

"Chiro, I've just got a few things to follow up before I head back. Do you know how to find your way to your room?" Nova asked, concerned.

"Oh yeah, sure! Don't worry, Antauri gave me a tour! I'm getting pretty tired as well. Big day you know," Chiro smiled, "Thanks for hanging out with me."

"No problem, and if you wanna hang out again, just say the word."

They departed, going their separate ways, as Chiro walked back to his room, ready for sleep.

He rounded the corner and promptly smacked into the red monkey who was walking in the opposite direction.

"Kid! Watch where you're going!" Sparx snapped, rubbing his head. Chiro gulped.

"Ah, I didn't mean it! I'm sorry. I was just heading off to bed."

"Yeah well, next time use your eyes, and if you have any sense you'll look where you're walking." the red simian stalked off haughtily.

"I, uh, I saw you flying before! It looked really cool! Nova said you were going to train me..." he stopped, realising that the red monkey had folded his arms, clearly disgruntled by his suggestion.

"Did she now? Not the first time she's gone and put words in my mouth."

"Well, um, Antauri also said it," Chiro added desperately.

"Kid, even if I did train you, I have my doubts that you can learn. It's complicated stuff. You're twelve."

"Thirteen."

"Yeah, thirteen whatever. Point is, the only experience you've had of flying is probably in a video game. And if Antauri expects me to train you right from scratch... lets put it this way - it's not going to happen. End of story."

And with that, the red monkey departed angrily, leaving a saddened Chiro in his wake.


	5. Discovery

**Chapter 4 - Discovery**

Sweat once again rolled down his forehead as the young boy awoke with a start. He noticed that he was only sleeping under a thin sheet - his thick, warm blanket had been kicked off during the night. Chiro laid his head back onto the pillow, frustrated at his turbulent dreams. In his mind's eye, he could see faint images of these dreams sitting before him, yet as he tried to remember them, his mind yielded nothing. With a sigh, he began contemplating yesterday's events. Chiro anticipated some sort of training in the future, and he knew it would involve one on one combat. This worried Chiro - what if he wasn't good enough? It's not that he was clumsy, no, but he was never particularly good with his feet. And Sparx? A part of him felt angry towards the hostile monkey, and yet another part of him wanted Sparx to accept him. All that was left was a feeling of confusion. Why was the red monkey so angry? It irritated Chiro.

With a slow yawn, the boy dressed himself, and made his bed. The time read **9:18am**. He felt pleased with himself - normally he would've slept in until later.

Chiro left his room, his feet pattering across the hall as he made his way to the kitchen to get breakfast. He was surprised to find no one there.

_They must still be sleeping, _he thought, but somehow he knew this wasn't the case. Nevertheless, he browsed the fridge, and took what appeared to be an apple far past its time.

Chewing casually on the apple core, he walked into the Command Centre, and was surprised to see the entire team deep in discussion. On his entry, the discussion stopped, and everyone stared.

Chiro wanted to disappear.

"Good morning Chiro," Antauri was the one to break the silence, "I pray you slept well?"

"Fine," Chiro lied, then he paused, "Um.. do you want me to leave?"

"Not at all!" assured the black monkey, "We were just running through a status report. Have a seat." Antauri gestured towards an empty chair. As Chiro approached it, he surveyed a mixture of emotions on the other monkeys' faces. Sparx seemed to have a smug look.

"You were saying, Otto?" Antauri returned his attention to the green simian.

"Basically, after running several checks on the Robot's mechanical system, it's pretty much in working order. Could upgrade a few parts if I do say so myself. Some of the weapons could probably be replaced too."

"I agree," Nova added, "The Foot Cruisers in particular have been neglected! Our heat seeking missiles are pretty much outdated."

Antauri watched the conversation exchange back and forth, "So what I am to gather is we simply need an upgrade of certain parts?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Otto said, "The Super Robot's only been out of action for a decade or two, so a lot of the parts can still be used."

Antauri nodded, then glanced at the red monkey, "What do you think, Sparx?"

"Did a quick fly over with the Fist Rockets. All good." he kept his report to the point.

Antauri nodded satisfactorily, "And what of the Torso Tank?"

The others fell silent, shooting each other meaningful glances. Chiro's attention perked immediately. _Torso Tank? Antauri didn't mention anything about that yesterday..._

"Ah, well, no one has really investigated it..." Gibson sounded anxious.

"I suppose that is to be expected." the black monkey said, "Oh and also, how is the upgrade going for the computer's system?"

Gibson's face turned red, and he shot angry glares at Sparx and Otto, "Well, Antauri, I haven't exactly finished it yet."

"No matter Gibson. Will you be able to finish it today?"

"Yes, most likely if I get some _peace and quiet._" he emphasised the words, spitting them out slowly. Otto snickered.

"Very well. I would like you to work on that if you can Gibson." The blue monkey stood up from his seat, gave a quick curt nod to Chiro, as if to acknowledge his presence merely out of courtesy, and left. Antauri turned back to the others.

"Thank you for your status report. Hopefully the Super Robot will be fully operational by the end of the week! Team meeting is dismissed."

The monkeys appeared more relaxed, however Sparx quickly sauntered off, muttering something about cleaning his room. Nova turned to Chiro brightly as Antauri and Otto began discussing particular upgrades that the Robot would need.

"So, what did you think of your first team meeting?" she asked, smiling. Chiro grinned in return - he felt like it was a first initiation into the team.

"It was interesting, but I'm glad Antauri didn't ask me anything." he said, sounding relieved. Nova laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. You'll be participating before you know it."

Chiro's mind wandered to the Torso Tank again, and several other questions picked at him, "Do you mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Fire away Chiro!"

"Who drives the Torso Tank?"

Nova paused. Chiro noticed her eyes flick over to the black monkey for a fraction of a second, but she quickly regained her composure, "I believe that's a question you best ask Antauri. He wants to explain everything to you in due time."

"Is he the leader?"

"Uhm... he's Second in Command." Nova faltered. This confused the boy.

"Second? Then who is first?"

Nova stammered for a second, but was (thankfully!) saved by Antauri who had finished his discussion with Otto.

"Nova! Are you busy at the moment?" (a shake of the head) "Good good, I need you to accompany Otto. He's going out to purchase some new parts. I dare not ask too much of you but..."

"Antauri," Nova smiled, "It's no problem!" She departed for the exit with Otto, but not before sending Chiro a concerned glance. The door closed loudly behind them. The black monkey turned his attention to the boy.

"I apologise for sending Nova out like that, but I would like to have a few moments alone. Will you accompany me to my quarters?"

Chiro had never been to Antauri's room before, and he grinned at the prospect. Although he knew that he had the black simian's trust, this was the first time he felt genuinely welcomed into the midst. The boy nodded. And besides, Nova had told him to talk to Antauri. So talk to him he would.

**xXxXx**

Antauri's room was less amazing than Chiro previously envisaged. For some reason he imagined it to contain mysterious, mind-boggling artifacts, cryptic posters with strange ancient runes plastered on the walls, or maybe even, at the very least, some kind of exotic lizard pet. To the boy's dismay, Antauri's room was quite plain, save for a desk with a few books, and his bed. Some incense sticks burned pleasantly in the corner, filling the room with a fresh lavender scent.

Antauri paced over to his desk, and after picking carefully through his books, removed a small, leather bound one and began flipping through the pages. Chiro shuffled awkwardly.

"What are you reading?" he finally asked.

"I am reading about the Power Primate. To see if any instances like yours have occurred before."

Silence.

"Well? Have they?"

"Afraid not," he shut the book sharply, "Now, I believe you were questioning Nova beforehand? No need to apologise Chiro!" a small smile crept onto the monkey's face as the boy quickly spouted out several excuses, "I must admit, I did leave you a little bit in the dark yesterday. I still have a lot of explaining to do."

Chiro quietened down, and nodded slowly, then posed his question to the black monkey, "You didn't tell me about the Torso Tank yesterday. Who drives it?"

"The leader drives it." he replied simply.

"Are you the leader?"

"I am not."

"Then who is?"

"Ah, now here is where we encounter a bit of a problem. I never did explain to you why we were in stasis, did I?" Chiro shook his head. Antauri continued, "See, when you found us, we were at that moment in time, without a leader. And since the Robot cannot function without all its parts, we were unable to serve as protectors. We had to enter a cryogenic sleep until we regained our final piece."

Realisation slowly dawned on Chiro. Antauri paused, waiting for the boy to say it aloud.

"So... you could only be awakened when a leader came to you?"

"Essentially, yes."

"And I awoke you?"

A slight hesitation, "Exactly."

"So that means..." Chiro faltered. He didn't have the words anymore. It was like his breath was snatched right out of his lungs. The lavender incense burned his nostrils.

"Yes Chiro. It's you. You are the leader of the Monkey Team."

**xXxXx**

Sometimes Gibson believed that his brothers were mentally incapable of understanding even the most obvious hints. Really, when he had said _peace and quiet _it meant, "Do-Not-Bother-Me-Until-My-Work-Is-Complete". And yet, here Sparx stood, still whining and complaining and feeling sorry for himself. The blue simian did his best to block out the noise.

"Can you believe that Antauri wants me to train the kid? Seriously?"

"How shocking." Gibson replied half-heartedly.

"Ya know, ever since Mandarin left, Antauri's just taken it upon himself to boss everyone around."

"Well he _is_ second in command!" came Gibson's haughty reply, "You seem to forget that."

"Even so, I get no respect! Here me? None at all! Everyone's going on about what a great idea it is bringing the kid in and putting all our hopes into him. Remember what happened when we put our hopes into our leader? Oh yeah, that's right! We got stabbed in the back!"

Gibson lost his patience, and with a loud, angry sigh, he pushed his chair away from the computer, "Listen, Sparx, I understand that you are feeling a little annoyed - oh okay, shush, VERY annoyed - at the situation right now. We are all anxious about it. Don't make the mistake thinking you're the only one who's worried, or upset even."

Sparx protested, "Upset? I'm pissed!"

"Even so, I think you need to control your temper. You're overreacting way too much-"

"Quiet!" Sparx voice snapped loudly, causing Gibson's fur to bristle with indignation.

"Excuse me?"

"No, quiet! Can you hear that?"

Faintly they heard yelling.

**xXxXx**

_The leader? Leader of the Monkey Team?_ Chiro's head swam with these thoughts. He felt sick. This couldn't be happening to him. Finally, he found his voice. It was tiny and small, and he felt insignificant.

"You... you're mistaken. I can't be. You can't be right. You're wrong." he sounded shaky. Antauri took a step closer, and tried to raise his hands to the boy to calm him, but Chiro pulled away.

"This isn't funny Antauri. How can you expect me to lead a team of monkeys I barely even know? Some of them don't like me!" Chiro protested, colour appearing in his cheeks.

Antauri bit his lip, "Chiro, I understand you're quite overwhelmed with information at this point-"

"Overwhelmed? You could say that."

"- but I had to tell you now. I did not want to lie to you. I want you to trust me as I trust you. Believe me when I say-"

"Believe you what? I never asked for this! I never asked for any of this!"

"And neither did I Chiro, yet here we are, standing before each other, holding our futures uncertainly in our hands. What choice are you going to make Chiro? Are you going to rise to the occasion? Do not idly stand around and watch your destiny pass you by, I beg of you!" Antauri's voice seemed louder now, somehow inspiring, yet also chastising, "You are meant for this Chiro. The Power Primate chose you!"

"Well, I **definitely **did not choose the Power Primate!" Chiro's voice was doubling in volume, "I'm not ready for any of this Antauri!" the boy's voice seemed almost begging in nature, "Don't ask me to do this." His voice cracked slightly, and Chiro could feel anger swelling up in his throat. He was angry at Antauri. Why did the black monkey expect so much of him? He was just a kid. An unwanted street kid. Not some "Chosen One". His anger amplified as he felt hot tears sting his eyes. He turned his heel and headed for the door, but paused as he heard Antauri's stern voice ring out in his ears.

"Sometimes the paths we are given are not always the easiest to take. However walking those paths shape you, they make you stronger. The person you want to be, Chiro. That is where this path will lead you."

Chiro blinked the angry tears from his eyes, and stormed into his bedroom. How would Antauri know what kind of person Chiro wanted to be? No one knows about his thoughts. No one cares.


	6. It Begins

**Chapter 5 - It Begins**

Several days had gone by, and the boy had still not left his room, save to use the toilet and grab something to eat. But for the most part, he stayed hidden away, locking himself from the outside world. The monkeys were concerned to say the least, and worried about how the young child had taken the news. Gathered in the Super Robot's command centre, they discussed how to approach the boy.

"He must be hungry," Otto said, worried, "I haven't seen him at dinner. Or breakfast."

"I've been leaving him food outside his door," Nova admitted, "He looks like he hasn't had a decent meal in a long time."

"The tests I ran on him the other day suggest that also," Gibson added, "His iron levels are quite low, and his white blood cell count could be better."

Antauri remained silent during the conversation, a look of deep contemplation on his face. Sparx was staring at him indignantly, "Didn't I tell you Antauri?" he asked, his fur bristling, "Didn't I say he wouldn't be able to handle it?" the black monkey did not reply, however Nova responded by punching him in the arm.

"He's had a rough few days, Sparx, what did you expect? He's probably not confident about himself either. Or has a low self-esteem."

"Nova is very much correct," Gibson mused, "And to be suddenly thrust into a leadership position... that can be daunting."

Nova nodded in agreement with her brother, "_And_ he's probably very scared."

"That doesn't change the fact that our _leader_-" Sparx uttered the word with contempt, "-is locked away in his room. Someone should go talk to the kid."

"Antauri," Otto asked, "Why don't you go talk to Chiro?"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, because it is I whom Chiro is angry with," he paused, and glanced at the red monkey, "Why don't _you_ speak with him Sparx?"

"Oh no, hell no!" his voice spilled out hurriedly, "No way!"

"I'll go," Nova said. It wasn't an offer or a suggestion - it was a statement, and before anyone could suggest otherwise, she had risen from her chair and departed, her tail catching Sparx in the face angrily as she passed him.

Standing outside Chiro's bedroom door, Nova took a few minutes to compose herself. She had never given counseling to someone before, that was more Antauri's department. Nevertheless, she was confident on helping the poor child. Stepping up to the door, she knocked softly, a few times. There was a slight pause, before Chiro's voice responded.

"Who is it?"

"It's Nova." she tried her best to sound comforting, but instead her voice felt worried and constrained. A smile however quickly spread across her face as the door slowly opened, and Chiro's small face peered through.

"Nova?" he sounded tired, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you know... I _do _live here Chiro," she offered helpfully, "Can I come in? Lets talk." Her confident demeanor gave the messy-haired boy some encouragement, so he opened the door and let the yellow monkey in. She sat herself down on Chiro's untidy bed, staring in bewilderment at the slight mess that had already gathered.

"Looks like you've already made yourself at home," she joked. Chiro forced a smile onto his face.

"Yeah, but I don't know how much longer," he muttered. Nova glanced up quickly, and beckoned for him to sit beside her. He complied.

"Chiro," she began, "I know these few days have been really hard on you. To be fair, I think Antauri may have told you a little too early. But he really does have your best interests at heart."

Chiro's eyes furrowed at the last part, "But why? He barely even knows me."

"Antauri just has a way of reading people," the golden monkey shrugged, "He can see good things in someone that others may overlook."

Chiro didn't respond. He wanted to feel angry at the black monkey, but the last few days of barely eating and sleeping had drained the energy from him. A wave of tiredness collapsed over him, and he rubbed his eyes. They were red and sore.

"You have a strong heart Chiro," Nova said softly, "A brave heart. And there's a reason why the Power Primate chose you for this. I believe in you."

Chiro felt the yellow monkey's faith in him to be misplaced, "I don't know if I'm ready for this Nova," he admitted, "I'm just an ordinary kid. I'm not special." he gave the monkey a pleading look, as if he wanted her to confirm his beliefs. She shook her head.

"But you _are_ different Chiro. Out of every person in Shuggazoom, fate chose you to be our leader!" she noticed Chiro flinch at 'leader', and she quickly re-worded herself, "I know it's going to be hard. And no one is expecting you to take control straight away. Antauri will handle that. For the time being, we will train you in everything you need to know - science, combat, flying, mechanics - we are all going to help shape you into what you were chosen to do."

"But I don't even feel like I belong..." the poor boy's voice sounded exasperated. Nova dismissed his concerns.

"We're all having a tough time dealing with it Chiro. Some are having a bit more trouble than others-"

"Like Sparx," he muttered before he could stop himself. Nova laughed.

"That idiot? Don't worry about him! He's just... confused. But he'll come to soon enough, you'll see! Just give him the space he needs for the time being."

"He said he doesn't want to train me."

"Well he'll soon realise he has no choice," Nova said in an amused tone, "I know it doesn't make sense right now, but Sparx does like you. He's just... taking his anger out on you."

"Yeah, that makes no sense at all!"

Nova softly punched him in the arm, "Hey! I'm trying to cheer you up here alright?"

Chiro felt warmed by Nova's kind words, and he smiled for the first time in a few days. A genuine smile, "Thanks Nova," he felt a pang of regret from his confrontation with the black monkey, "I.. I think I need to go speak to Antauri." he stammered. Nova nodded, and, taking his hand, she led him out of his room.

**xXxXx**

The dim glow of candles were the only light source, which flickered mysteriously in the corners. Incense sticks burned slowly, emitting soft, pleasant smells. In the centre of his room, the black monkey levitated, eyes closed, allowing his mind to wash away with the odours that penetrated his nostrils. His face was calm and collected, wisdom etched upon even the smallest details. The silence was comforting for Antauri, seeking solace in the innermost thoughts of his mind.

A pool of light quickly flooded the room as the door behind the levitating monkey opened, and the shadow of the boy was cast upon the floor.

"Antauri, can I talk to you for a mome-" the voice stopped, "You're floating. In the air."

Antauri turned to face Chiro, somewhat amused but he kept his face emotionless, "You are most welcome to speak with me at any time, Chiro."

The boy entered the room with caution, still eyeing the monkey. He seemed dubious that Antauri was suspended in mid-air. The black monkey decided it best not to distract the poor child, and ended his meditation session.

"Antauri...I just wanted to say.. sorry. For before." Chiro stopped as Antauri raised a hand.

"No Chiro, it is I who must apologise to you. I expected too much of you, giving you so much information, and with such little time to think it over. I hope you will forgive me," Antauri's yellow orbs flashed with concern, so Chiro nodded slowly in acceptance.

"I also wanted to tell you," the boy started slowly, picking his words carefully, "that I would like to stay. But I need help." he quickly added.

"And we will gladly help you Chiro," Antauri smiled, clasping the boy's hand in his own, "You are not alone in this. If you ever need guidance, or advice, you will find a great wealth of information from any one of the team. I'm very proud Chiro."

Proud? Chiro stopped, and he wasn't sure if his eyes widened at the comment. No one has ever been proud of him before...

"I trust Nova spoke to you then?" Antauri said, seating himself down on a chair.

"Yeah, she did. She was really helpful."

"Very good," he smiled again, "And how are you getting along with the others?"

Chiro hesitated, "I haven't really seen much of them."

"And Sparx?"

A pause. "Didn't really talk to him much."

Antauri eyed Chiro with concern, but dismissed it, "Lunch is approaching quite quickly," he continued, "And we would be very honoured if you joined us in the dining room."

"Okay, sure," Chiro suddenly felt aware of the hunger in his stomach, "I could go with something to eat."

The two departed together, and Chiro felt much lighter after the heavy burden on his shoulders was somewhat relieved. He felt happy, and he began to warm to the idea of his new team. His new family.

**xXxXx**

A silver orb swirled with angry clouds, as a dark figure loomed over it menacingly. The large cavern echoed with the sound of dripping water, and a strange black substance oozed from the walls, which were lit with an ominous, green glow. The figure's attention was fixated upon the orb that continued to show nothing but a twirling anger, until finally, a picture formed. Within the ball, the image of a child came into view. His messy, black hair framed his face, his blue eyes stared out curiously, as if they were watching back.

The black-clothed figure visibly shook with anger, and a rasping growl sounded. In the distance, rumbling noises echoed.

"So..." the voice was cruel, and calculating, "They chose you."

With a large, powerful swipe, he knocked the orb off its pedestal, smashing it into a thousand glittering pieces against the wall. A scream of anger followed, but it quickly subsided. Under the black hood, two red eyes narrowed, and from the darkness where his mouth should be, a deep harsh laugh began to grow, until it echoed throughout the entire cavernous room.

"A mere boy... Chiro."

The laughter echoed loudly throughout the rooms, prompting the black slime on the walls to mutate and grow. Quickly they doubled in size, until large black creatures stood, their hands clutching oozing weapons. Their faces were blank, and contained no life about them. In less than a few minutes, the room was filled with these strange monsters. They remained motionless until the cold voice spoke again.

"When we reach Shuggazoom..." A soft, dangerous pause.

"Find him. Kill him."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm not really happy with this chapter, felt like it moved too slowly. Plus I didn't write a lot here. Idk. Hopefully the next few chapters will be a bit more interesting - it focuses on Chiro trying to fit in with each individual member. Anyway, sorry for the bad chapter =(

I also have a bad habit of uploading a document, hating it, deleting it, editing it, and re-uploading. So if the chappie disappears halfway through reading... i'm sorry =P


	7. Training

**Chapter 6 - Training**

**Otto:**

Otto hastened down the halls, making his way to the Super Robot's engine room. Chiro was close behind, trying to keep up. The green monkey flittered nervously between the large, turning cogs that powered the machines, stepping over piplines and dodging small droplets of oil that fell from above. Truth be told, he was a little anxious, what with starting Chiro's training today. The incident with the syringe was still fresh in his mind. For reasons unknown, Antauri deemed it necessary that they start with mechanics. Otto let out a muffled groan as he approached a small, working bench at the far end of the room - his own workshop. Alas, the messy-haired boy was not lost amongst the pistons, and so their lesson would commence.

"Sooo... what exactly are we doing today?" Chiro looked around, surveying the large room. Already the two of them began to feel the heat of the room. The smell of grease and oil was strong in their nostrils.

"Well, I wanna start by finding out how much you know. Have any experience with fixing things?"

"I know my way around a car, if that's helpful."

"It's a start, at least you know something," Otto brightened up, "Gibson thought you'd have no knowledge at all."

"Well, that's nice of him."

Otto realised that what he said was probably not meant to be shared. He grinned, embarrassed. "I think I'll start off by just giving you a tour of the Robot. Show ya where everything is, and how it works."

Chiro nodded - that seemed simple enough.

So the two spent the day wandering amongst the greasy metal, as Otto pointed out the different mechanisms involved in keeping the Robot functional. The boy's mind boggled with all the different contraptions necessary, as well as the many different methods pivotal to maintaining them. However, Otto proved to be a very competent teacher - he explained things carefully, and made sure that Chiro understood everything before continuing onto something new. He ran through all the tools on his work bench explaining their functions, and where they were best used. And he was an expert on knowing what signs to look out for, in case something were to be out of place with the machines. Otto's philosophy was simple: Machines can be read, and you just gotta know how to read 'em.

"They'll usually tell me if something's wrong, see?" Otto smiled, pleased with the day's progress so far. At the moment, he had Chiro on his hands and knees, tightening loose bolts. It was a menial task, however Otto didn't want to put any pressure on the boy - it was his first day. Already, he was covered with oil stains, and grease was slick in his hair. Chiro felt absolutely disgusting.

"I am gonna have the longest shower after today," he grumbled, twisting the bolt tighter, and then moving onto the next one.

"Ah come on Chiro! A little grease never hurt anyone! I think it's kinda nice..." Otto rubbed his fur, comfortably perched on a nearby metal barrier.

"Almost... got.. this- Yes! Finished!" Chiro put down the spanner triumphantly, pleased with his hard day's work. Otto couldn't help but be amused. Tightening bolts hardly classified as a hard day's work. Chiro sat back, and wiped the sweat off his brow. They'd worked non-stop all through lunch, and the boy felt his stomach complain with the lack of food.

"Looks like we went a little overtime. Who have ya gotta see next?"

Chiro began packing the tools away, checking his watch simultaneously, "Gibson with science. Tell me now..." the boy looked at Otto questioningly, "Is it gonna be hell?"

Otto pondered, "Noooo weeelll it, well, yeah. Yeah it will be." he shrugged, "You might like Gibson as a teacher though. I don't."

"Do you think I have time for lunch?"

"Nah, but you don't wanna listen to Gibson on an empty stomach!" Otto shook his head at the idea, "Food is the most important part of, well, anything!"

Chiro laughed, "I better head off then. Thanks Otto, I really enjoyed today!"

"That's okay Chiro," Otto's face beamed with his token smile, "I'll see ya again in a couple days. Back down here okay! And remember!" Otto quickly shouted as Chiro began to walk out, "Don't touch the control frame by the door! You could destabilise the Robot's central gravity processing unit which-"

"Yeah yeah, I'll cya later!" Chiro waved as he climbed up the ladder, which led back to the hall.

Otto smiled. Chiro wasn't so dangerous after all!

**Gibson:**

The blue monkey stood impatiently in the med-bay, his fingers folded together and his face masked with an irritated glare. The clock on the nearby wall ticked away slowly, and after what seemed like an age of waiting, Chiro entered the room, still munching on his food. He wiped away the crumbs around his mouth with his sleeve.

"You're late," came the haughty voice, "Half an hour, to be precise."

"Sorry Gibson!" Chiro quickly apologised, "Otto and I kind of went over time in the machine room, and I was starving afterwards so I went to get something to eat and-"

Gibson held up his hand quickly to silence him, "It matters not. We will have to do extra study to make up for your tardiness."

Chiro wanted to groan in disappointment, but he thought it best not to aggravate the already aggravated monkey, "Okay Gibson," he replied. The blue monkey gestured to a nearby chair. The desk in front of it contained several daunting items that would scare any child - a worksheet, and a pen.

"We are going to start by testing what you know. On the desk here is a simple quiz. Please answer the questions to the best of your knowledge. You have half an hour to complete it." He gestured towards the chair, and Chiro grudgingly sat down. He turned his gaze towards the paper. He hated tests.

The clock ticked by, and Gibson paced the room, occasionally looking over Chiro's shoulder to observe the boy's progress. He was busy furiously scribbling down anything and everything - Chiro wanted to leave a good impression on the blue monkey, and to be honest he didn't really care if his answers were wrong. At least he had written down _something._

"Your time is up," Gibson said. Chiro leaned back quickly, stretching his arms and placing his pen down in an accomplished manner, breathing in deeply. He was pleased with himself.

The blue monkey picked up the paper, and began to mark it, reading the boy's answers intently.

"Hmm..." he muttered to himself as he scribbled notes next to the boy's answers. After a few minutes of occasional muttering, Chiro worked up the courage to speak.

"How did I go?"

Gibson glanced up, eyeing him in what seemed like an annoyed fashion, and then looked back, finishing his scribbling.

"Well, you answered everything incorrectly."

Chiro sighed miserably.

"Not to matter Chiro. This test was simply for me to see where you are at, and it seems we will be starting from the basics. This is a good place to start for any young scientist!" Gibson handed the test back to Chiro, "I will expect you to study the answers to these questions, and we will re-do the test the next time I have you. Now," the monkey turned away to pull a large text book off a high shelf, "This here is for you. Light reading I imagine." Chiro looked at the text book uncertainly. He guessed it to be about 5000 pages long.

"Since we are often involved in combat, I will first be teaching you medical science, and areas of study such as basic resuscitation skills, applying bandages to wounds, how to treat injuries. Things like that. Quite simple if you ask me. We will have a short, half-hour test each week so I can review your progress." Chiro groaned. Gibson's voice rose slightly, "Believe me Chiro, Otto's teaching methods may be very _relaxed_ and _fun_ but **I **intend to exercise your brain as hard as possible!"

The boy remained silent, and surveyed Gibson with a mixture of displeasure and worry. The monkey placed the text book down with a loud thud.

"Now Chiro, we shall start basic resuscitation of an incapacitated person. Please open your text book to page three hundred and thirty seven. That is the start of chapter 4. Let me just get a workbook for you to take notes."

Chiro sighed heavily as he flipped through the pages. Already science was proving to be his least-favourite subject.

**xXxXx**

Nova always hated being assigned kitchen duties with Sparx. It didn't happen very often, because the pair were very explosive together. However, due to Gibson and Otto being busy with Chiro's training today, and Antauri overseeing administrative duties, it was left to the red and golden monkeys to prepare dinner for the team. Nova had gone shopping previously in the morning, and she opened the bags of purchased goods, storing them away in the cupboards and fridge.

"What should we make tonight, Sparx?" she wondered aloud. Sparx replied with a grunt. He was never really interested in cooking, as it required more skill and concentration than the red monkey had a mind for. The female let out an annoyed "tch!" of impatience, and decided on the easily prepared salads and vegetarian lasagna. She pulled out a large cooking tray and lined it with pasta slices.

"Are you going to help me Sparx, or just sit there looking miserable?" she shot at him, whilst she began chopping vegetables up into small pieces. Sparx grunted again, and moved himself from his position, grabbing a knife and assisting with the chopping.

"Why the long face Sparky?" her voice was only accompanied with the sound of the knife hitting the chopping board.

"Don't call me that!" he replied harshly, "And I'm fine!"

"Sure you are. You know I can tell when you're in a bad mood."

"Well I'm not in a bad mood okay!" he snapped roughly. Nova grinned, and began slicing some mushrooms.

"Definitely sounds like it."

There was a small silence, when Sparx muttered-

"It's just the kid-"

"Ohh so it IS about Chiro isn't it?" she smirked. Nova knew that the red monkey would spill the beans sooner or later. Sparx shot her a glare.

"Duh. I just don't think he's leader material."

"He isn't right now, but give him time-"

"-And he still won't be leader material. He's just a kid Nova. We're going to have to go to battle in the future. Can you imagine him calling the shots? In the heat of a fight? Surrounded by enemies? He'll choke." Sparx roughly cut up the capsicum, severing it unevenly.

"He just needs time to learn, Sparx. You're expecting too much of him. It's barely been two weeks since he found us, and already you're talking about battle? I think you need to get your head out of the clouds."

"I just have a bad feeling about something."

"I think we've all been feeling a bit uneasy lately." Nova nodded in agreement, "Hey, Sparx! Watch what you're doing!" Nova rolled her eyes as Sparx realised he had diced the capsicum into tiny squares, "And how are we supposed to eat _that_?"

"You'll just have to deal with it," he muttered, scooping up the tiny red pieces and dropping them into the salad bowl.

Nova returned to her lasagna preparation, smiling to herself. Sparx always had a strange way of cheering her up, even when he didn't intend on it. Their silent chopping was interrupted when Otto marched into the room, rubbing his stomach.

"Antauri put you two on cooking duties tonight?" he glanced between the two monkeys nervously. It seems the memories of their previous joint efforts were well remembered. It had resulted in an almost burnt down kitchen.

"Yeah," Sparx took a break from his cutting, "We're making veggie lasagna and salads."

"Why no meat?"

"Antauri's a veg-head, remember?"

"I never really understood _why_ he was though..."

"Done!" Nova triumphantly slid the tray of un-cooked lasagna into the oven, setting the timer for 2 hours, "Dinner will be ready soon," she rubbed her hands gleefully, then appraised the green monkey, "How was training this morning with Chiro?"

"Pretty good," he replied, "He learns fast, and he seems really interested in mechanics!"

"That's good. I have him tomorrow morning in combat training."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Otto paused, then lowered his voice, "He doesn't know about our weapons, does he?"

"I don't think so," the yellow monkey replied, "I'll have to tell him tomorrow."

"Here's a question for you two," interrupted the red monkey, "Why isn't Antauri taking Chiro for anything? We've all been shafted with training duties except him!"

Nova and Otto exchanged glances.

"He's taken to meditating in his room for hours," Nova muttered quietly, "Something's bothering him, dunno what it is though."

"Do you think something's wrong?" Otto asked under his breath.

"Well whatever it is, I don't like it," Sparx said haughtily, "He makes us do all the work while he gets to sit on his-" Nova elbowed him roughly as the black monkey entered the kitchen.

"Speak of the devil," whispered Nova. The three stood oddly silent, and as Antauri approached, they indiscreetly attempted to busy themselves with kitchen duties. Otto hurried off to set the table.

"You three seem busy," Antauri said in a cool voice. The traffic light trio all flinched simultaneously, and hurriedly stammered their replies.

"Dinner will be ready soon, gotta set the table!"

"These salads need more dressing!"

"I have to watch the lasagna cook!"

Antauri appraised them with a passive look on his face. Sparx felt his stomach drop - the black monkey probably knew he was bitching about him only moments before...

"So we will be having lasagna?"

"It's vegetarian." Otto added hurriedly. The three nodded with forced smiles on their faces. Antauri felt a slow smile appear himself.

"Very well, I best see how Chiro and Gibson are doing. I will let them know that dinner will be ready soon." he turned his heel and left the room.

There was silence for a few moments, as if the three were waiting to make sure the black monkey had well and truly left. Nova turned and punched Sparx in the arm.

"Never bitch about Antauri again!"

The three then fell into fits of laughter, forgetting about their anxiousness and feeling genuinely happy for the first time.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry I didn't update for _aaaggessss_! I was so busy recently, but I hope this chapter makes up for it =(


	8. Confrontations

**Chapter 7 - Confrontations**

The night passed with no troubled dreams, and Chiro awoke refreshed and, for the first time he could remember, happy. Just a few days prior, Chiro had learned he was to be a member of the team, and it seemed daunting. However, the monkeys were friendly and accommodating, and the boy began to slowly come out of his shell. Well, _most _of them were friendly - Gibson appeared dishevelled most times, and was irritated easily. Then there was Sparx, whom Chiro avoided with the utmost care when he had to. The two had not gotten along from the start, and today the boy had decided to change this - for today was his first flying lesson with the red monkey.  
The raven haired boy climbed out of bed and dressed for the day. He had learned from his previous mistake to get up earlier than 9am, since preparation for the day in the Super Robot usually began at 8 with breakfast (and each Friday, followed by a short team meeting at 8.30am). Choosing to wear his usual attire, he left his room cheerfully and headed for the kitchen and dining room. Upon entering, he was greeted by Antauri and Gibson, who were typically the first to rise in the morning.

"Good morning Chiro," the black monkey greeted over a cup of tea, "I trust you had a fitful sleep?"

Chiro was used to the usual questioning in the morning by now, and he nodded happily as he helped himself to some toast, "Sure did!" he began spreading the butter unevenly. He didn't realise how ravenous he was.

Gibson said nothing as he was busy reading the morning paper. As of yet, the monkey team had not announced their sudden awakening to the citizens of Shuggazoom. It had been many years since they had seen the Super Robot activated, and Antauri thought it best that they lie low for a while until they had everything sorted. What he meant by 'sorted' though, was anyone's guess.

The silence continued for a few moments (save for Chiro's munching), when the door opened suddenly and Nova entered the room. She yawned in a tired fashion and joined Chiro at the table.

"Ready for your second day of training?" Nova smiled, punching the boy lightly on his arm, "We have combat together first!"

Gibson smirked from behind his newspaper, "Don't rough up the boy too much, the med bay isn't fully operational yet. Besides, I don't feel inclined to be performing major surgery any time soon."

"Oh _ha ha_ Gibson!" Nova said sarcastically, then she turned to Chiro, "Ignore the science nerd, I'll go easy on you. But just for today!" she winked and giggled, returning to her breakfast. Gibson was still smirking, but chose not to reply.

"So what will you be teaching me today?" Chiro wondered, chewing thoughtfully on his toast.

"Pain enduranc-"

"Can it Gibson!" Nova said loudly, then, "Just some basic combat stances. Simple stuff. We won't get into sparring for at least a week."

Their conversation ended abruptly as a loud slam was heard from the opposite end of the room. Sparx had entered, followed by Otto. The red monkey walked briskly towards the group and, although there was a spare seat next to Chiro, deliberately chose to sit next to Antauri. Otto took the empty chair, and began cheerfully piling on the food, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

"Wow, you guys are pretty quiet today," Otto stated, with food in his mouth, "Did Gibson give another lecture on black holes?" he snickered to himself, ignoring the glare received from the blue monkey. However the question remained unanswered, except for the well-timed awkward cough from Chiro. Antauri came to the rescue.

"Something on your mind, Sparx?" he queried, almost innocently. He pursed his lips and locked his fingers in a psychologist-type manner. The red monkey grumbled something under his breath, stuffing his face with a now-cold piece of toast.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing," the irritated monkey said, "I'm fine."

"Indeed," Antauri eyed him for a moment, then turned to the rest of the team, "Well, I think it's time to start the tasks for today. Gibson, you mentioned earlier that the med bay was not fully operational? Perhaps you could work on that. Chiro, I believe you have several lessons to complete," the black monkey concluded, but then added as he looked at the green monkey, "Also Otto, you are on clean up duty this morning."

The green monkey groaned loudly and threw the crust of his toast miserably onto his plate, as everyone began packing up their mess (except for Sparx, who was still eating). Chiro sauntered out of the room, eager to start his second day with Nova. Combat training would be interesting.

**Nova:**

The boy and the yellow monkey faced each other in the training room, standing barefoot on the squishy blue practice mats. Chiro had changed out of his casual gear and into something more practical - a simple white robe tied at the waist by a white belt, similar to that of martial arts beginners.

"Throughout our training sessions," Nova began, "I'll be teaching you different fighting styles, all of which are useful on a battle field. Today, I'm going to start with something simple, but very helpful, and that is defensive fighting style. We'll practice different stances, disarming and blocking. Sound good?"

Chiro nodded, smiling. He and Nova were already good friends, and he believed their relationship to be a strong one.

"Alright!" Nova smiled back, "Lets get you warmed up! I'd like you to jog a few laps of this room, and then we'll go through some stretches."

The morning with Nova proved fruitful - already Chiro had begun to master the basic techniques, much to the yellow simian's satisfaction. They had run through different stances, most of which Chiro had memorised, and he had even managed to disarm Nova in a quick spar they had decided to do (although Nova insisted that she went easy on him). The lesson finished leaving Chiro in a bright mood, although when he remembered what came after lunch, his face darkened. Nova noticed the quick change in attitude.

"What's up?" she queried. Chiro sighed, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel.

"I've got flying with Sparx next. Not really looking forward to it," he said unenthusiastically. Nova patted him on the arm sympathetically.

"I wouldn't worry about it. It'll be awkward at first, but he'll come through soon. Just ignore some of his more... sarcastic remarks and you'll be fine!" Nova smiled again, and Chiro nodded slowly. He guessed that the yellow monkey would be right, however that didn't make him feel any less nervous about being taught by Sparx. He and Nova walked to the kitchen and made a quick lunch, before the boy had to leave again for his first lesson with the red monkey.

Chiro arrived at the red tube which led to the fist rocket, and waited patiently, as Sparx hadn't arrived yet. His stomach was in turmoil, and he felt his nerves get the better of him. _What if Sparx hates me? What if I do so badly that he won't even speak to me again? What if the team kicks me out?_ These thoughts plagued his mind for a while, until Chiro realised he had been waiting at this spot for a good 15 minutes. The red monkey was late.  
_What if I'm in the wrong place? Oh god, Sparx is gonna hate me even more!_ However, despite thinking this, Chiro was still mostly sure that he was where he was meant to be. He paced the room a few times, mulling over the different possible reasons that Sparx wasn't showing up. As the time slowly ticked on, Chiro's nerves began to dissipate. Now, instead of being fearful at the red monkey, he was annoyed. The boy threw himself on the floor, propping himself up against the wall. His arms were folded irritably against his chest.  
At that moment, the door sounded, and Chiro quickly jumped to his feet - finally Sparx was here! But the elation quickly disappeared as he realised it wasn't Sparx but, in fact, Gibson.

"What are you doing on the floor?" the blue monkey asked, in a matter of fact tone. Chiro hastily straightened out his clothes.

"Er, I'm just waiting for Sparx. He was supposed to be here almost an hour ago."

The blue monkey uttered a _tch! _of annoyance, "That Sparx," he said, annoyed, "I knew he would cause trouble. Very well Chiro, follow me." he led the boy out and back into the main room, where Antauri was busy at the central computer running some diagnostics. He turned to greet them as they walked up.

"Good afternoon Gibson. And Chiro! I must admit, I expected you to be in your lesson with Sparx," he smiled carefully, although Chiro wondered if it was fake.

"I'm afraid we've hit a little snag," Gibson said haughtily, "The boy's been waiting for Sparx for at least an hour, but the stupid monkey hasn't bothered to show himself. Honestly..." he trailed off in his tirade after Antauri placed his hand to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully.

"Indeed," he began slowly, "I will have to speak with him later. But it appears you have the rest of the afternoon free, Chiro," the black monkey smiled again, "Perhaps you would like to take a trip into the city? I imagine being cooped up here is rather boring for you."

Chiro, although previously irritated, brightened up at the idea of venturing back out into Shuggazoom's main district, "Great!," he grinned, "I'd love that!" The boy turned heel and skipped jovially out the door, not noticing the exasperated face that donned Antauri's features as he left, as well as Gibson shaking his head ruefully from side to side.

Once out in the city, the boy felt invigorated by the warm sunshine. He brushed himself up and started walking towards the CBD, checking out all the shop fronts and looking at all the items he couldn't buy. He checked his pockets, and felt a few coins. _Enough for a burger from Mr. Gackslappers!_ he thought happily. Chiro made his way to the burger stand, and decided on ordering a regular beef pattie.

"Hey Chiro!" Mr Gackslapper called, "Haven't seen you around here in a while. Everything alright?"

"Sure Mr. Gackslapper sir," Chiro laughed, turning slightly to survey the surrounding area, taking in the sights and sounds of the people walking by, "I've had a crazy few days like you'd never believe!" Suddenly, a figure caught his eye. He paused, and took a few steps closer when he realised who he was staring at.

The red-furred monkey seemed oblivious to his presence, instead choosing to stuff his face with a burger and continue his conversation with two women that were obviously enthralled by this strange creature.

"... and I said to him, you know what I said? I said, 'Sir! I don't believe you're qualified to make that assumption. I'm taking you down TOWN!" he sniggered at his own joke, but the two women were clueless as to what he was saying.

"He's just so cute! Aww I love this little monkey noises!" they tickled his fur, giggling. Sparx made a cheesy grin, then suddenly choked as he noticed Chiro standing a few metres away, hands on his hips and glaring indignantly at the flirtatious monkey.

"Are you kidding me?"

The two women looked at each other awkwardly, then at the boy that was staring angrily in their direction, "Um. We should go..." they took their bags and drinks and hurried off, leaving Sparx sitting uncomfortably under Chiro's gaze.

"An hour," the boy said simply, "I waited an hour."

"Oh... yeah, that..." Sparx laughed nervously, "I forgot kid but-"

"But nothing!" Chiro waved away the excuses, annoyed, "Sparx, I know you don't like me. It's obvious. But come on, is this fair?"

Sparx twisted his metallic fingers together, huffing indignantly. Being told off by a kid? Now _that_ was a joke, "It was an honest mistake," he began, but was interrupted by Chiro again.

"Whatever Sparx. I get that you don't want me in the team. So for whatever I did to you, I'm sorry," he didn't even wait for Sparx's reply, he just turned and walked away, leaving Sparx confused and annoyed by the sudden confrontation.

**xXxXxXx**

Nova and Otto were in conversation when Chiro stormed back into the Super Robot almost an hour after he had left. They watched him silently as he made his way to the orange tube, stepped in and disappeared up the chute, heading towards the bedrooms.

"I wonder what happened," Otto said, but his question was answered as Sparx also entered the Super Robot, equally as angry. Nova frowned.

"What did you do _now _Sparky?" she accused, "Oh, and I heard about how you bailed on Chiro earlier."

Sparx returned her glare, not backing down, "That kid has an attitude problem!" he snapped.

"NO Sparx! You have the attitude problem!" Nova snapped back at him, "How can you be so blind? This is YOUR fault. You should apologise to Chiro."

"No way!" Sparx hissed, "He should apologise to ME for waking us up in the first place! We never needed a leader, and we don't need one now!"

"Don't be ridiculous Sparx," she folded her arms impatiently, "Oh, and another thing," she added as Sparx turned to leave, "Antauri wants to see you."

"What? Are you serious!" he grumbled in protest as he entered the red tube and disappeared, leaving a confused Otto and an annoyed Nova in his wake.

The red monkey sauntered angrily down the hall, headed for Antauri's room. He knew he was in for a scolding, and a part of him admitted that he deserved it. But hell, Sparx was still stubborn. His anger at Chiro hadn't subsided much, in fact, his mood in general had been amplified after Nova had snapped at him. Sparx reached the door to his brother's room, and knocked loudly. A voice from within called, 'Enter', so he opened it and stepped through.  
His brother was, as per usual, seated in a meditative position, his back facing the door. Without needing to be told, Sparx took a seat on the pillow opposite, crossed his legs and waited for the lecture to begin. But nothing happened. In fact, it was a good while before anybody said anything, so in that time, Sparx contended himself with glaring at the back of Antauri's head. Finally, the black monkey spoke.

"I hear you have been causing Chiro some grief," he began, his tone smooth yet emotionless. He rotated himself to face Sparx, who realised he was still glaring. The red monkey adopted a more stubborn yet less angry face.

"The way I see it, the kid causes ME grief," Sparx smirked inwardly at his retort. Often he enjoyed using Antauri's words against him. Antauri continued, unabated.

"I sense something is bothering you. Why don't you share it with me?" his continued cool tone irked Sparx, and he felt his anger rising.

"Maybe I would, if there was anything to _share _in the first place," he said through gritted teeth.

"Don't play coy S-P-R-X-77, you mood has been absolutely awful since we awoke from our cryo-sleep," despite the slight accusation in that sentence, the black monkey's tone remained calm. Sparx twitched.

"Well so what if it's been awful? I'm not a dainty little therapist like you!" he snapped back, folding his arms and taking a more aggressive stance. Antauri blinked, but didn't relpy, so the red monkey took it as a cue to continue speaking.

"And so what if I've been 'causing Chiro grief', I didn't ask to be woken by a scruffy street kid. I'm not interested in taking orders! Especially from him!" Sparx's voice began rising, "So you can bow down to him if you want, but not me!"

Antauri simply stared back thoughtfully, his yellow eyes probing the red monkey's frustrated face.

"And another thing! I am SO SICK of everyone completely disregarding everything I say! This is supposed to be a team? It's more like a dictatorship!" by now the red monkey's anger was getting the best of him, but Antauri just sat there, allowing Sparx to shout abuse at the mentor.

"We didn't need a leader before. We didn't need Mandarin!" Sparx shouted, "And we don't need this kid!"

He appeared to have run out of energy to continue shouting, as he began panting heavily from his tirade. Antauri simply nodded, as if in agreement.

"But would you agree," he spoke, still calmly, "That you may have been a bit unreasonable? Think from Chiro's perspective for a moment. He is just a boy, thrust now into a world that is strange and unfamiliar. You would be wise to consider others' situations before jumping to conclusions."

Sparx sighed. Of course, Antauri was right - again. He nodded slowly, refusing to make eye contact although he could feel the yellow eyes watching him intently.

"I just ask of you to walk in Chiro's shoes, just for a day. You might find you two are more alike than you realise."

Sparx raised his eyes to greet Antauri's, and saw that they greeted him with understanding. He stared back for a split second, then looked away and muttered, "Fine."

"Excellent, Sparx," Antauri stood up from his meditative position, with Sparx following his lead, "I have faith in you. Even if you aren't a... 'dainty little therapist' like me," the black monkey smirked slightly, and led Sparx out into the hall. Many people may believe that Antauri, being the team mentor and often offering guidance, he would have forged close relationships with the others since he frequently gave advice or counselling. Yet with the red and black monkeys, there was a kind of mutual understand not found with the rest of the team - an understanding that somehow knew there was a different side of them both, just lurking just beneath the surface waiting to be discovered.

**A/N; Sorry I haven't been updating much! I hope this makes up for it =)**


	9. Disturbances

**Chapter 8 - Disturbances**

Several months passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. The bright fresh green of spring had begun to wither and dry beneath the scorching heat of summer. Young chicks that had hatched in the previous season were now fully fledged and, despite the oppressing heat, felt the need to harass citizens for their food. Pigeons flocked to the main squares of the city, eagerly bumping and flapping for a small piece of food in between people's legs. Apparently the fear of being stepped on was non-existent. The city was alive and buzzing. All was at peace.

But alas, if one were to be a fly on the wall in the Super Robot, a large mechanical fighting machine, one would find much disruption and lack of previously aforementioned peace. Particularly caused by Gibson. And burnt toast.

"Who set the toaster to level 8?" he scowled, turning his gaze over the three suspects. Otto, Sparx and Chiro casually shrugged and stumbled over their replies. Gibson stared back haughtily. He knew someone was guilty, and he would find the culprit!

"You three will rue the day you messed with the toaster!" the angry blue simian snatched his burnt bread and tossed it idly into the rubbish, then hurriedly preparing himself some more. Sparx sniggered as Otto quickly side-stepped out of the room. Gibson was not one for games when it came to breakfast.

As the angry cyborg muttered under his breath waiting for his bread to cook, Sparx and Chiro took their place at the breakfast table, where Antauri was casually drinking tea.

"How is your flight training going, Chiro?" asked the black simian. After his little talk with Sparx, Antauri hadn't had much time to watch over Chiro's training (much to his dismay). Otto was having trouble updating parts of the Torso Tank's hardware and that had required much of the mentor's time. As such, the past few months had been a stressful, busy blur.

"Training is going great," Chiro said, awkwardly glancing towards Sparx. Truth be told, things had been a little rocky at first between the two. There were occasional disagreements, and Sparx could be a little heavy handed with the jibes, but Chiro was just glad to be finally on a 'good' side of Sparx… if you could call it 'good'. But at least the red monkey wasn't avoiding him anymore… right?

"The kid's improving. His skills are alright, could use some more training to brush them up," interjected Sparx. Antauri nodded, pleased at the progress. The three then sat quietly at the table, with the silence only broken by Gibson's dramatic sigh as he realised he forgot to reduce the level on the toaster, and had once again burnt his breakfast.

"I don't believe this…" the scientist's muttering made Sparx crack a smile as he chewed his toast quietly. Any laugh would bring down the wrath of the hungry blue monkey.

"Well, I best be off," Antauri spoke, getting to his feet, "The Super Robot is almost operational, so we shall have to prepare for our reintroduction into Shuggazoom society." He turned his heel and left the room, Sparx waving idly at him as he departed.

Truth be told, Chiro was worried about the black monkey. He hadn't seen much of him since his training began. Of course, the boy understood that there was much to be done, but why so soon? The atmosphere in the Super Robot felt…. hurried. Rushed. As if something was looming, and everything had to be done in time. Chiro would be lying if he said he didn't feel it too. Ever since he had discovered the robot monkeys he had felt strangely apprehensive, as if the peace Shuggazoom had enjoyed for many years was about to be shattered. He wanted to prevent whatever it was from coming to pass, but how could he when he didn't even know when it would happen? Or what form it would take? Or if it were to even happen at all? Chiro felt Antauri had the answers, or at least, shared similar views. He was just to shy to ask him.

Instead, the boy turned his attention to the red monkey, who was just finishing up eating. He opened his mouth to speak when-

"Ah, the scientist who doesn't know how to make toast," Sparx smirked. Gibson shot him an icy glare, as he sat down to join the two at the table, "What an embarrassment to the team."

"I'll have you know that the complicated ability of toast-making is a rare and under-appreciated art form," he snapped back, hastily stuffing his face.

"Ahuh, sure Gibson. Don't break a brain cell."

Gibson merely responded by rolling his eyes, and continued eating. Chiro decided to interject now.

"Hey guys," he began cautiously, "Do you think there's something up with Antauri?"

"When is there never anything up with Antauri?" Sparx snorted, kicking back his chair and propping his feet up on the table (much to the dismay of Gibson).

"I mean, he seems…. hassled. By something." Chiro wasn't sure if he used the right words. Gibson set down his toast.

"Antauri is probably busy with the preparation of the robot. Not only that, but soon we will have to reintroduce the Hyper Force back as the defending force of this city. Let me assure you, that is no easy task after a long absence."

Sparx huffed at Gibson's lecture, "Sure, but I agree with the kid. Something _is _up with Antauri. We should ask him,"

"OR… perhaps you could let Antauri be. He doesn't need the added stress of you two imbeciles knocking on his door every 5 minutes," Gibson retorted, "Besides, if he had something important to say, he would've held a team meeting by now."

The discussion was broken suddenly when Nova entered the room, opening the door roughly.

"Breakfast over guys," she interrupted, "Antauri's called a team meeting."

Chiro almost laughed out loud at Gibson's bewildered face, as Sparx gathered up the dirty plates, giggling to himself like a little girl. Nova stared at them, completely mystified by their reaction.

"I'll tell you later," Chiro laughed, as the four of them exited the dining room to join the others in the main room.

The team seated themselves down, and watched Antauri who had placed himself at the front. The tele-screen behind him showed an image of the Robot's scanner, and a bright dot was softly flickering.

"Team," Antauri began, "I have called this meeting to bring to your attention something which I have feared for the past few weeks." He paused, gauging their reactions. There was a combination of silent surprise, wariness and fear. The black monkey continued, "The Robot's long range scanners have picked up an unidentified craft moving steadily towards Shuggazoom. The rate of travel is quite fast, however I have calculated its projected time that it will reach our solar system."

"How long?" Gibson asked quietly.

"Approximately 5 days."

The silence regained control; but for Antauri it was almost deafening.

"Well… what exactly is it?" Nova queried.

"I am not sure at this moment. Attempts to scan the craft have proven futile. It seems to be blocking our devices," he raised his voice slightly, "Although the nature of this object is unknown, I believe we should treat it with caution. This may be our first real test since our awakening."

Suddenly, Chiro noticed a change in the atmosphere in the room. What was uncertainty at first was now buzzing with action.

"Sparx," Antauri continued, "I want you to make sure the Fist Rockets are prepared for battle. Otto, the same for you with the Foot Crushers. Gibson, if there is anything that can be done to improve the medbay, please see to it. And Nova? I would like you to maintain observation on the Super Robot's long range scanner. Let me know if any anomalies arise."

The monkeys all nodded, and leapt to their feet. A slight scurrying of furred feet, and then the room was empty, save for Antauri and Chiro together.

"Chiro," the black simian started, "I would like you to accompany me," He turned to the coloured tubes and exited the room, with the boy following suit. Chiro was nervous. What kind of task would Antauri assign him? He was still in training. He wasn't a leader! The worried boy felt his stomach turn at the thought of what dangers lay ahead. As if sensing his unease, Antauri stopped briskly walking and turned to face him.

"You need not fear, Chiro," he said comfortingly, "We will be right beside you the entire time."

"Where are we going?" the boy asked. Antauri held out his arm, gesturing Chiro into one of the rooms.

"Why, your own room. The team has a gift for you."

Chiro cautiously entered his room, and noticed straight away a curious pair of clothes on his bed! At closer inspection, he discovered them to be a nice fitting white shirt with a white mask and orange trim, white pants and black boots. He held them up excitedly.

"This is your fighting suit," Antauri said, smiling, "When you go into Hyper Mode-" he pointed out the Hyper Force symbol on the top left shoulder, "-you will be wearing this outfit. It is designed to minimise damage impact to the wearer, as well as regulate your body temperature to a suitable degree, even in the most harsh weather conditions. Do you approve?" Antauri's yellow gaze was met with excited head nodding.

"Yes! I love it! Wow…" Chiro put the clothes down, "Thanks Antauri!"

"Your thanks is not just for me, but for others as well. You can wear it under your clothes. It's quite light, you would not even know it's there."

Chiro gazed breathlessly at his new clothes. They were perfect. Holding the clothes in his hands, he felt more sure of his situation then ever before. It was like he was born to wear them. Antauri smiled gently, then turned to leave.

"I will let you try them on if you want. If you need me, I will be in the main room with Nova," He closed the door softly behind him, and then left. Almost as soon as the door had closed, Chiro hurriedly went to try on his new clothes. They were extremely light, and soft at the touch. Yet even with a small tug, the boy could tell they would be difficult to damage. They were a comfortable fit too - not too hot or too cold. He went to view his new outfit in the mirror.

"Aww yeah Chiro, looking goooood," he smooth-talked, holding a thumbs up to himself. Smirking, he then went back to the bed and put his regular clothes over the top. Antauri was right, it was like his Hyper gear wasn't even on! After fixing up his ruffled hair, he departed his room and headed for the main room.

Nova was staring intently at the long range scanner that donned the screen, waiting for the slightest jump in movement. Antauri stood behind her, also watching intently. The two did not seem to realize Chiro had entered the room, or even notice him when he approached. Antauri was holding his hand to his face in a curious manner, muttering to himself under his breath.

"What are you?" he said quietly, to no one in particular. Chiro stared at the red dot that flashed lazily on the screen. What was it? And why was it heading for Shuggazoom? He wanted to say something comforting to the two that were absorbed by its untimely appearance, but he knew that any words he spoke would fall on deaf ears. Besides, he had a feeling he would be wrong. Chiro knew it was just a dot but... it didn't feel right. It didn't feel friendly. He then shook his head at his own thoughts. What would _he _know, right? He was just a kid. And he was staring at a red dot at the screen. But even as he walked away, Chiro couldn't shake that feeling that something terrible was coming to the peaceful city of Shuggazoom.


	10. It's Real

**Wow, I'm sorry everyone! I've had quite a long absence haven't I? Almost two years... whoops =P. I wouldn't say my writing has improved, but I definitely don't like what I've written before. Still, I can't be bothered re-doing it so I will have to persevere.**

**I've also encountered a new problem... I can't remember what I had planned for this story. LOL. I wrote it out in my head, and now that I've left it for so long, I've forgotten what that plan was. I'll just have to wing it!**

**Anyway, review this chapter please! I need some serious help, plot-wise.**

**Chapter 9 - It's Real**

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel, on the verge of a battle. That irritating red dot casually flashed on the screen, and every few hours would take another step closer to Shuggazoom. It was almost anti-climatic, but Chiro couldn't help but shake this feeling of on-coming dread. Antauri's prediction was right, give or take a few hours. It took five days for the unidentified object to reach the outer-rim of Shuggazoom's solar system, and it was all they could do but wait until it got here.

There was much arguing amongst the team in that time. _We should take the fight to the threat! Draw the danger away from the citizens. _That was Sprx's plan anyway, but Gibson disagreed. If something were to go wrong, they would be stranded out in space with nothing but their ill-prepared fighting Robot to keep them company. Their food rations were still low as well, they weren't ready for deep space travel, not for at least another few months. Not to mention their fuel cells were low. The Super Robot as a whole had not been tested yet.

After much debate, they settled on letting the ominous red dot approach them first. _It could just be something insignificant. _Otto occasionally came out with the optimistic one-liners, but they often fell on deaf ears. It wasn't wise to dwell on nice sentiments, especially when so much was at stake.  
Still, it was agreed upon by the team to wait it out and deal with the object when it arrived.

So five excruciating days passed, and the dot drew ever closer on the map. Chiro was waiting in the Command Room when Antauri had called the team to assemble.

"Can you get us a visual, Gibson?"

There was a flurry of movement over the control panel, and an exasperated "No" was the blue monkey's reply, "Whatever it is, it seems to be blocking our scanners."

"We need to know what that is," Antauri's voice was laden with concern, when he turned to address Sparx, "Take out the Fist Rocket. See if you can get closer, to boost our long-range scanners. Try to get us an image without directly engaging it."

Sparx nodded curtly and turned heel. Within moments, he had departed the room. A quick message flashed upon the screen, "Fist Rocket Three has disengaged the Super Robot" a droning computer voice echoed. A dot on the map representing Sparx's aircraft had appeared, and was steadily making its way to intercept the oncoming object.

"Stay in contact with us Sparx," Nova ordered through the ear piece, "Give us details."

"I'm coming up on this thing now," the red monkey seemed apprehensive, "Can't really make out what it is. Going in for a closer look..."

"Be cautious, Sparx." Antauri warned.

Without a visual to aid them, it was difficult for the team to wait as they listened in with bated breath. Chiro was hanging on for Sparx's every word now, as was the rest of the monkeys. There wasn't any speaking at first, just occasional static, when-

"It appears to be some kind of beacon,"

All at once, a collective sigh from the group, then Antauri leaned in, "Can you elaborate?"

"I dunno, It's way too small to be an aircraft of any kind, looks more like a satellite to me," Sparx paused, studying the object on his screen, "I wonder what it's doing way out here... Should I bring it back to base?"

"Go ahead, Sparx."

Chiro was relieved - the supposed threat had been exposed to be nothing but a false alarm! The tension seemed to dissipate immediately, Nova was grinning at Otto, who was whooping cheerfully over the discovery. The boy smiled. _Nothing to worry about,_ he thought. He glanced at Antauri, almost out of confirmation, when to his dismay he saw the black monkey was all but jovial.

"This is Sparx, reporting in to the Super Robot. I've got the beacon in tow and I'm coming back to base now."

The two dots began returning side by side back to Shuggazoom, when suddenly, a third beeping anomalie appeared.

"What is that?" Nova asked, and the sudden panic in her voice seemed to echo the change in atmosphere in the room. Antauri quickly unfolded his arms and reached to the mic.

"Sparx, do you read me? We're getting another anomalie on our screen. There's an unidentified craft behind you! What can you report?"

Sparx could hear the beeping on his dashboard too. Usually it was reserved for large, close objects and somehow the pilot could tell that this one was looming in behind him. He cursed, adjusting his view to the rear of his craft, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was following. Antauri's voice faintly registered in Sparx's ear.

"The beacon was a decoy! Sparx, can you read me?"

"Uh, you're coming in loud and clear!" Sparx hesitated, continually checking behind him, "I have no visual on the unidentified object yet, it-oh god.."

Almost without warning, a shadow cast itself upon Sparx's Fist Rocket, completely dwarfing it in size. It was like nothing the red monkey had ever seen before. It barely fit into Sparx's rear-view, and yet still he was having difficulty describing its features. The craft pursuing him appeared to have no metallic structures, instead it was covered in a strange grey-ish, non-reflective surface. There weren't any weapons as far as he could tell, and he couldn't note any rockets that would propel the ship forward. Still, it was fast-approaching. Sparx took that as a sign to hit the gas.

The Fist Rocket powered through the emtpy space, towards the small blip of light that was Shuggazoom. "C'mon c'mon c'mon," he muttered, occasionally checking to see if the beacon was still attached to his ship. Not that he really cared, but he figured it'd be better than coming home empty handed. Or dead. Faintly he heard Antauri through his mic.

"Sparx, the object is still blocking our scanners! Is it hostile?"

A warning beep sounded from the dashboard, indicating missile lock on, "I get the feeling this thing is hostile, Antauri!" Sparx hollered through the mouthpiece, "Guys, time to suit up! Monkey Team, move out!"

That was all the team needed. Like cannonballs, they shot off towards the coloured tubes and took their respective places, each jetting off to their designated crafts. _This was it_, Chiro thought heavily to himself, following the rest of the team's lead, _It's time to prove myself! _He was discharged through the piping system until he landed with a thud in the Torso Tank. The past few months had given him enough basic training the maneuver the simple controls. _Well I can drive, I guess_, Chiro shrugged to himself as he was strapped in. Immediately, the screens came to life and his dashboard powered on.

"Foot Crusher Cruiser Six, Go!"

"Foot Crusher Cruiser Five, Go!"

Each team member was checking in, indicating they were ready to go.

"Fist Rocket Four, Go!"

"Fist Rocket Three, Go!" Sparx's voice came through blurred with static.

"Brain Scrambler Pilot Two, Go!"

Chiro double checked that everything was fully operational. The mic was attached, and the feed on his dash indicated that he was receiving a constant feed from the other team members. All systems were go.

"Torso Tank Driver One, Go!" He uttered the words. They were real now.

"Super!"

"Robot!"

"Monkey!"

"Team!"

"Hyper!"

"Force!"

"GO!"


	11. Conflict

**So this chapter took me almost 5 hours to write and I'm still not happy with it. Sigh. Anyway, read and review please!**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Conflict**

Sparx could tell the pursuing craft was gaining on him. Hurriedly speeding towards his home planet, with the satellite still in tow, he expertly dodged the gunfire that was raining down upon his ship. Something snapped off. _That can't be good, _Sparx thought darkly to himself.

As he prepared to enter Shuggazoom's atmosphere, he noticed that the ship behind him had suddenly pulled up and ended the chase. Curiously enough, it was holding position just in orbit. Sparx didn't stick around to find out why, as his ship entered the stratosphere and pulled into a sharp dive.

"The hostile ship has disengaged," he barked into the mic, "It doesn't appear to be pursuing."

Back at the Super Robot, the team waited on the outskirts of the city to rendezvous with the incoming Fist Rocket. Their scanners were picking up the enemy ship now, visualizing a horrifyingly fascinating airborne... _thing. _

"I can't make out any structural attributes," Gibson noted, "According to my readings, it appears to be made out of something... _organic_."

"What?" Chiro blurted out, "That's impossible!"

"And yet my scanners are reading it also," Antauri noted, "It's as if the ship is..."

Before he could finish, Sparx's Fist Rocket had returned into view and was re-connecting with the Super Robot.

"Alive?" the red monkey offered, interrupting the Second in Command as he joined with the team again, "I'll tell you why, it's made of _bone_. The whole damn thing is made of bones!"

"We've got incoming!" shouted Otto, his voice accompanied by a sudden beeping. Chiro glanced at his screen, and sure enough there were several illuminated pixels indicating the arrival of foreign enemies.

"Scanners show no sign of aircraft! Looks like they're on foot," Nova said, "Lets give them a real fight!"

"Monkey Team, disembark! Battle formation Z!" Antauri commanded.

The team worked together in perfect synchrony. They were like clockwork, responding without thought to their ordered commands, knowing immediately what they had to do next. Chiro felt as if he were an extra appendage; a useless addition that was just tagging along for the ride. How on Shuggazoom could he possibly fit in with them? _And _he was supposed to lead them? Following them out from the Super Robot, and into the street below, he couldn't help but marvel at their teamwork.

His thoughts were broken by a sudden explosion overhead - the first move had been struck. The monkeys stayed true to their formation, weapons activated and at the ready. This was Chiro's first real look at the team as a whole, working in unison. It was impressive.

A marching of foot steps began to echo around them, through the surrounding streets, gaining in volume until finally, the source came into view. Thick, black and oozing forward, the hideous creatures filed out until they surrounded the Hyper Force on all sides. The monsters were all identical - black and white features adorned with blank eyes on a skeletal looking face. Their slimy frames were protruded by thick, white bones that into arms, and sharp claws. Chiro had never seen anything like it before, and judging by the looks on the rest of the Team's faces, they hadn't either. The creatures didn't appear to have any discernable mouths, so Chiro wondered if they could even speak. Their marching came to a stop when they all faced the Hyper Force, arms raised and poised, ready to attack.

From behind the crowd of enemies rose a red, metallic figure. Marching forward, the humanoid robot's heavy steps came to a halt before the Team, and the screen on its chest began to fizzle and stutter into life. Amongst the static, a discernable face began to appear. It was harshly angular and rather frightful looking, like a skull adorned with fierce red eyes. The sharp teeth clicked, gnashing together and forming a grin. The accompanying sound was husky and deep; a forceful laugh echoed through the speakers.

"Monkey Team," the voice berated, "Let me be the first to welcome you to the new Shuggazoom. It will soon be under new management you see. We won't be needing your services any longer."

"Who are you!?" Sparx interrupted, "And good luck getting rid of us!"

"I am everything you fear," hissed the voice, "I am the reckoning that is sorely overdue. And I will bring this planet, just like the Universe, to heel."

"Shuggazoom is a free entity," Antauri replied, "Its citizens have lived in peace for decades. You would be wise to cease your conflict with us."

"Is that the boy then?" the TV Robot involuntarily lurched, seemingly in reaction to the voice's scathing disapproval, "The leader of the famous Hyper Force?"

The question itself felt rhetorical, and Chiro could feel the heat in his cheeks rising out of embarrassment. Already this enemy knew who he was supposed to be, and could clearly see that he fell far short of that expectation.

"We ask the questions around here!" the boy snapped his reply, refusing to let this character's jibes get the best of him, "Who are you, and what's your business with us!"

"My, how... _precocious._" the figure on the screen smirked, "I am the Skeleton King. And my business? To destroy."

Without warning, the TV Robot backflipped and aimed a single outstretched arm towards the team, opening fire. The Hyper Force scattered, dodging the onslaught whilst also trying to juggle the formless monsters that had made a tight ring around them.

"We need to find a break in their ranks!" Gibson shouted, "And head for cover!"

Nova was already way ahead of them. Pulling her fists together, she swung her body towards the nearest enemy and slammed through their ranks like a cannonball. The formless fell before her, dissolving into a puddle on the ground and providing a weakness in their rows. Following close behind, the others covered her back as she continued to pound her way through their midst, until they were through and safely out the other side. Chiro was close behind, his Hyper uniform stained with the oozing black goo from the dissipating enemies up ahead. Antauri followed after, covering Chiro's back. It was plainly obvious to the boy that they were instinctively forming a guard around him.

The TV Robot blared overhead, raining down more gunfire as the monkeys and Chiro hurried to find cover.

"What's this?" Skeleton King leered, "Running away? I expected more than **THAT! **Now where did you filthy primates run off to?"

Crouching silently behind a collection of garbage bins, the team huddled together to organise their next move.

"Sparx, Gibson," Antauri gestured to the two, "I need you to take down the enemies from the West side. Start from 5th Boulevard and work your way up. Stop those formless from reaching the city centre."

The red and blue monkey nodded in unison.

"Otto and Nova, take the East. Make sure their ranks don't make it past the Arcade. I will provide a distraction for TV Robot to ensure you have enough time to break away. And Chiro," Antauri paused, "If you can provide me with cover from the formless."

Chiro could feel the eyes of the others on him, but either he was going to step up to the challenge now, or let the team down. The latter was not an option.

"Got it Antauri," he replied fervently.

"Hyper Force, move out!"

Like a blur, the black monkey vaulted from his hiding position, scurrying in between the formless and made a leap towards the TV Robot. Before anyone could react, his green claws had sunk deep into the metal casing, causing the screen to shatter and lose its image. Stumbling over its own feet, the robot tried shooting madly at the black simian that was darting back and forth, dodging the attacks and landing more blows.

The others had already left their positions to carry out Antauri's orders. Chiro knew that he was responsible now, and any mistake or inaction would be held against him. He was Antauri's only line of defence. Scurrying out, he could see that his mentor was already starting to become outnumbered by the Formless. They marched heavily towards the black monkey, arms outstretched and claws slashing through the air.

"Hey!" Chiro shouted, his hands balled tightly into fists, "Don't you take another step!" He cursed inwardly at how weak that sounded. These guys weren't going to fall for that.

Whether or not they had understood though, the Formless approaching Antauri halted, and turned their heads. It's more likely that the noise was what attracted their attention, but whatever it was had done the trick. Leaving the black simian to deal with the TV Robot, the Formless began trudging towards Chiro, their arms reaching out in a fervent madness. His mind was quickly running through the training he'd done with Nova, still worrying about how he was going to apply mock-fighting on mats to a life-or-death situation, when the nearest Formless came at him with a swing of his club-like arm. Dodging sideways, the attack fell where the boy's head previously was, causing Chiro to blanch at the very real possibility that he could have died just then. But this was no time for half-measures or games. Gritting his teeth, Chiro continued to slowly back away, leading the Formless from Antauri and giving him the space he needed to deal with TV Robot. Then a second, third and fourth Formless came at him simultaneously, forcing the boy to make a series of complicated and almost awkward looking maneuvers that he somehow managed to pull off.

In retaliation, and spotting a small window of opportunity, Chiro threw his fist back, landing squarely on the nearest enemy's face. Upon contact, the Formless collapsed into a puddle of ooze on the floor.

"Hey, this isn't too bad!" Chiro smirked confidently, and continued to dodge the oncoming attacks with ease. Over his ear piece, he heard Sparx's voice come through.

"Antauri, we've taken care of the Formless by our end. We're coming back to meet you," as the boy looked overhead, he saw Gibson and Sparx fly over, their rocket packs humming distinctly over the noise of the current fray. Landing squarely opposite Chiro, Sparx raised his magnets and surveyed the scene with a new look of veneration.

"Nice going kid! Now let Sparx show you how it's done!" the red monkey raised his magnets, "Magno Ball Blazer!" Crimson electric lights flared up around his magnets, and formed into a softly humming ball above his head. Propelling itself forward, the magnetized attack flew through the remaining Formless, pinning them with surrounding loose metal objects and causing them to dissipate on the ground into ooze.

In the meantime, Antauri's vigor was starting to falter. The TV Robot had the luxury of maintaining stamina and energy, and with each attack, it knew that the black monkey was dropping his game. The distorted figure on the screen was goading him on, laughing manically and taunting Antauri.

"When you filthy primates are done for, your boy leader will made an example of! The citizens of Shuggazoom will know to fear me when I'm through with this pathetic excuse for a team!"

"That will never happen!" Antauri crouched before him, claws raised, "We will not let you win, Skeleton King."

"Oh I wouldn't count on that!" Skeleton King derided, "That boy is nothing but a child! He won't last a day. And when he falls... You will follow."

"That's enough!" another voice cut into the conversation, followed by a clash of metal. Gibson landed heavily beside Antauri, his drills held up and pointing aggressively in TV Robot's direction, "Your Formless army is obliterated, Skeleton King! You have lost this!"

As Skeleton King shot a look, the rest of the team had arrived and was surrounding him. Eyes fierce and weapons at the ready, the area that was once swarming with Formless was now empty, save for them. The red eyes narrowed as he surveyed the Hyper Force before him, until his smug voice echoed from within his mechanical emissary.

"Do not think that this is over, young Chiro," Skeleton King breathed, "Boy, this is just the beginning."

The screen flickered, and the skeletal face faded from view, suddenly going blank. The Robot dropped its stance and with a creak, fell silent.

A quiet pause.

"So... what just happened?" Otto unevenly shifted his weight back and forth, anxiously glancing at his team mates, "Is it over, or?"

"This thing is still operational," Gibson replied, "Sparx, use your magnets to hold it down and be quick about it!"

Before anyone could react though, the TV Robot suddenly blared back into life, a harsh metal grinding noise sounding out as it launched itself into the sky. It was amazing how quickly it managed to power itself towards the atmosphere, rockets at full blast. In response, Sparx, Nova and Otto activated their rocket packs and prepared to give full chase.

"There's no point," Gibson said through his ear piece, "By the time you manage to catch up, it would have already left our stratosphere."

"Monkey Team, back down," Antauri followed up, "Return to the Super Robot and re-group."

Sullenly, the three returned, however aside from losing chase, spirits were relatively high. This had been their first real test, and the team had pulled through. Eight months of gruelling training had paid off.

"You rose to the challenge today, Chiro," Antauri walked alongside the raven haired boy, lagging a little behind the rest of the group and out of earshot, "You should be proud of your efforts."

Chiro shrugged off the compliment with an awkward grin, "You guys really did all the work. I'm just glad I managed to survive!" he laughed off his uncertainty.

"Do not be too hasty to under value your accomplishments, Chiro," Antauri replied with a smile, "We all still have a very long road to travel."

Chiro didn't reply; he guessed Antauri was probably right. And the team did have a long road ahead of them. Skeleton King was still out there, and had threatened to return. His stomach lurched when he thought about what was said.

_Do not think this is over, young Chiro_

The Skeleton King knew his name. The threat rang in the boy's ears. And all while the team walked together, jovial and good-humored, Chiro still couldn't shake that unsettling feeling within him.


End file.
